Sunnybank Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The manager and staff provide a highly valued and homely pre-school that is at the heart of the community it serves. Staff provide children with a wonderful welcome and consistent, nurturing care. Children feel happy, safe and secure at pre-school. They talk fluently about the Christmas concert and the songs they will sing. Children know lots of songs and sing extremely enthusiastically.

Staff encourage children's independence in doing things for themselves. Children confidently put on their own coats, zip them up and manage their personal self-care. They know why it is important to wash their hands. Staff teach children how to hold and use scissors to cut. Children delight in cutting shapes. Staff provide plenty of uninterrupted time for children to practise and develop their concentration.

Staff provide an ambitious curriculum for children, overall. They invite professionals to pre-school to talk to the children about their role. Children learn about how the police and community nurse can help them. They also learn about the importance of 'hearing dogs' to people who are deaf. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and provide consistent guidance. Children enthusiastically tidy up. Staff promote kindness and inspire children to remember, 'it costs nothing to be kind'. Older children are caring towards younger children. They hold their hand and play with them. Children develop empathy. Their behaviour is excellent.

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

• Staff provide a strong focus on developing children's love of books and stories. Staff read to children at group time and on request throughout the day. They read with expression, leave time for children to join in and talk about the pictures. Children enjoy taking books home from the pre-school library to share with their parents. They also take 'Sunny', the pre-school bear home with great enthusiasm. Children delight in telling stories about the adventures that 'Sunny Bear' has with them, including trips to Paris and making pasta at home.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) particularly well. This is a real strength of the pre-school. The special educational needs coordinator is well trained and knowledgeable. She supports children and colleagues well. Staff are swift to identify any concerns in children's development. They work closely with a range of other professionals. Staff provide one-to-one support to help children develop the knowledge and skills they need for the future.
• Children are curious and display an impressive understanding of a range of topics. They know the names of many dinosaurs and accurately describe which dinosaurs lived on the land or in the sea, as well as which could fly. However, at times, staff's expectations of what children can achieve are not always high enough. For example, some staff do not consistently build on children's existing knowledge to encourage their early scientific thinking. Children enjoy exploring the ice on wintery days, but are not taught about how the ice was formed and what makes it melt.
• Children are energetic and highly motivated. They excitedly run up and down the slope outdoors. Children make independent choices and build towers using large connecting bricks. They concentrate extremely well and persist. Staff teach children how to play traditional games and encourage their drawing and writing skills. Many children can write their own name. Children's physical skills are developing particularly well.
• Parents speak very positively about the pre-school and recommend it. They are kept informed about their children's learning through daily discussions, online learning journals and summaries of their development. The manager provides a wide range of information for parents, including how to support children's toilet training and oral health. Parents enjoy taking on the role of the 'secret reader'. They make surprise visits to pre-school to read their own children's favourite stories to all the other children. Partnerships with parents are strong.
• The manager prioritises staff's well-being. She ensures that their workloads are manageable. Staff regularly complete well-being questionnaires and comment that they feel safe, supported and treated equally. The manager encourages staff to present information and share their knowledge of specific early years topics during staff meetings. Colleagues value each other's knowledge. They find the topics interesting and beneficial to their work with children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure that staff consistently challenge children's thinking skills and further extend their existing knowledge, specifically to maximise children's understanding of the natural world.