Stone Cross Independent Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish in this pre-school that is highly valued by families and very much a part of the local community. Children arrive eager and full of energy to start their day. The exceptionally knowledgeable manager and her skilled staff team pride themselves on knowing each child incredibly well. They use this information to deliver a well-sequenced and exciting curriculum that ignites children's thirst for learning.

The staff team is highly ambitious and truly values the uniqueness of every child who attends. The manager recognises the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's language and physical skills. She implements research and initiatives in the pre-school to counter the impact. This provides children with an abundance of rich-learning opportunities both in the setting and on local visits in the community.

Children demonstrate that they make significant progress in their learning and development. They show high levels of engagement and concentration as they recall what they remember from poems and stories. Staff champion children and offer encouragement for them to have opportunities to talk about their ideas. Children reflect and explain their understanding of the different literature texts that are shared with them. Thus, extending their range of vocabulary to a very high level.

Staff understand the importance of helping children make connections in their learning. For example, staff set up teapots, cups, teabags and tongs for children to continue their imaginative play that is linked to the story 'The Tiger Who came to Tea'. Furthermore, children also develop fine manipulative physical skills as they pour 'tea' and use tongs to pick up pretend sugar cubes. Staff explain this helps develop children's dexterity and muscle control in their hands ready for future handwriting skills.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• The manager and her team take steps to ensure that all children are very well prepared for their next stages of education. All staff evaluate the impact of their teaching, which provides an insight into the progress children make over time. This, in turn, helps them plan educational programmes that build on what children already know, remember and can do.
• Staff provide a multitude of activities and experiences to support children to develop a wide range of physical skills. They make the most of being on a school site and regularly use the running track to encourage children to keep physically active. Staff talk to children about the impact physical exercise has on their bodies. Children comment how they notice their hearts beat faster after they engage in warm-up exercises outdoors. This helps children learn about aspects that contribute towards healthy lifestyles.
• Staff work tirelessly to ensure that children with developmental delays make outstanding progress. They work closely with families and external professionals to continuously work on specific strategies and champion children to do their very best. Children with physical delays show tremendous resilience and concentration as they demonstrate mastering the outdoor obstacle course. Children beam with pride when they show that they can balance, jump and crawl across the varied resources to complete the course.
• Staff provide sensitive support to children to help them learn expected behaviour at the pre-school. Children show that they are developing an understanding of how their actions can impact on others. For example, they comment they should move to another area to continue building with the toy bricks, so as not to hurt their friends. This is because they noticed bricks can tumble and accidentally hit others. This shows that children are developing empathy towards their friends and adjust their play accordingly.
• Staff provide a 'creation station' to encourage children to self-select from a range of mixed media to express themselves creatively. Children engage in process art and enjoy using watercolours to paint and talk about their ideas. Staff use this opportunity to engage children in discussion about their work. This helps children learn that adults value their ideas and contributions.
• Staff regularly set challenges for children to develop their problem-solving skills. For instance, children discuss how they can overcome only having six foam arrows when seven children want to play. Children explain to the adult how two children can join together to share a foam arrow, so everyone can join in. This contributes towards helping children to learn how to negotiate and collaborate with others to develop social skills.
• Parents hold the pre-school in high regard. They comment that staff create a real sense of community for the children and their families. Parents explain the pre-school contributes significantly to the progress that they notice their children make. Furthermore, parents can borrow books from the setting to further support and embed learning at home.