Sunshine Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are excited to start their day, and they are greeted enthusiastically by the warm, friendly staff. Staff sensitively support children, especially those who are newer to the setting, by using pictures of their routine of the day. They actively involve children in this, inviting them to remove the pictures of activities already completed and name the remaining activities. This predictable routine enables children to feel safe and secure.

Children behave exceptionally well. Staff remind children of their group rules, and children confidently and consistently follow these. For example, after a five-minute warning for tidying away, children confidently put away toys and eagerly move on to the next part of their day. Children are deeply absorbed in the wide variety of opportunities offered by the setting's broad and well-targeted curriculum. They are fully engaged in their play, as the highly skilled staff introduce ideas and suggest resources to extend children's thinking and learning even further. For example, children discover footprints in the mud and talk excitedly about who could have made these. Staff encourage their ideas, drawing footprint outlines with chalk to further extend children's self-chosen play.

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

• Children make excellent progress in their learning. Staff know children exceptionally well and plan challenging activities that will interest and engage them while building on what they already know. This develops children's knowledge and skills effectively over time. For example, children choose activities for the following day, and staff use their knowledge of children to skilfully plan and extend these activities to further develop skills they would like children to develop.
• Children are extremely confident in communicating with adults and each other. For example, children explain clearly to adults what they are creating, and they seek out staff and excitedly share their discoveries.
• Children listen intently to favourite stories. They show their enjoyment by enthusiastically joining in with stories and rhymes. Staff are extremely effective in introducing new concepts through rhymes to extend children's learning even further. For example, they ask children to suggest what word rhymes with 'six'.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported exceptionally well. Staff work with parents and other professionals to develop plans that are aspirational in their support for children's development. Staff use signs with all children. This supports children who are non-verbal to be included and helps them to communicate.
• Children confidently talk about feelings and identify how others might be feeling. Staff utilise opportunities in conversations with children to explore the impact their words and behaviours have on others. For example, children talk about friends being sad, and staff prompt them to think of ways to make their friends happy. Children suggest that offering to be friends will make other children happy.
• Children become deeply involved in imaginative play with their friends, developing their storyline and identifying the resources they need for their play. For example, they pretend that a book is a treasure map and go exploring in the garden.
• Leaders carefully plan the opportunities they offer children to ensure they are meaningful and highly motivating. For example, when planning a visit to the shops, staff first involve children in planning what they need to buy for a chosen recipe. They follow the learning through by cooking and eating the ingredients bought. This strengthens children's understanding of the purpose of visiting the shop and of where their food comes from.
• Leaders support staff's well-being very well, which enables staff to understand and support the well-being of children. For example, staff recognise that some children need more support when starting at the setting and work with parents to adapt their approach. They talk to parents about how to promote a strong attachment with their child to support their child's well-being.
• Parents are highly complimentary about the provision and the excellent progress their children make. They value the communication they receive, including regular meetings with their child's key person.
• Leaders promote staff's continued development and empower them to make improvements to practice following the training they attend. For example, following involvement in a project supporting communication and language, leaders have introduced a book, song and sound of the week. Children enthusiastically join in to identify words that start with the sound of the week.