Sunshine Corner Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are confident and independent learners. Staff support children to explore their environment and the curriculum on offer. Children show their delight as they explore the outdoors in the fresh air. They practise their larger physical skills. For example, they push themselves on wheeled toys or climb and slide down the apparatus. Staff also provide a range of activities to support children's fine motor skills, such as play dough. Children use a range of tools, such as exploring ice with hammers. Developing these skills helps to provide children with the muscle strength needed for early writing. Children have positive attitudes to their play. Children demonstrate this when they enjoy exploring ice, and they smile with delight as it slips from their hands.

Staff are kind and caring. They build strong and respectful relationships with children, who are listened to and given choices. Overall, children behave well and follow instructions. Staff are good role models of the behaviour they expect. Staff talk to children about keeping safe, such as about road safety when they go out into the community or to the nursery garden. When using equipment, staff encourage children to take age-appropriate risks, and they supervise children well. This helps to build children's confidence and self-esteem.

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

• Staff have high expectations of children's learning. They gather detailed information from parents about children's likes and dislikes. They plan the curriculum knowing children's interests and follow their lead in learning. For example, children talk about going to the coffee shop. Staff provide a 'coffee shop' in the role play area and positively interact with children as they use their imagination when making drinks in the 'coffee shop'. Children make good progress from their starting points and learn skills to equip them for their next stage of learning.
• Staff know their key children well, which enables staff to ensure that the curriculum challenges them appropriately. Staff track children's development effectively, which they share with parents. This helps them to identify whether children need additional support in their learning.
• Parents report that their children are happy and excited to come to the setting. Parents receive updates on what their children have been doing. They comment that staff make it clear how they can support their children's learning at home.
• Staff support children to develop their independence skills. For example, staff encourage children to put on their own coats before they go outside to play. Additionally, all children show that they are familiar with the routines, such as putting their own water bottles away when they have finished drinking. This helps children to learn to do things for themselves.
• Staff report high levels of morale. A programme of effective professional development and regular meetings with the managers help to ensure that the quality of teaching is good.
• Staff work closely with parents to swiftly identify any children who may need additional intervention, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, staff have a deep knowledge of children's unique personalities and needs, and inclusiveness is at the centre of their practice. Any additional funding received for children is used wisely to help keep children safe and support their learning.
• Staff prioritise communication and language development in their curriculum. They create an environment that is rich in language for all children. Staff follow children's lead in play. They model language and repeat new words and phrases. However, occasionally, the pace at which staff give information during play and activities is too fast for some children to consider, develop and express their own emerging ideas.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support children with opportunities to think about and consolidate the information given by staff during some activities, taking account of their need to think about and share their responses and ideas.