Sweethearts Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at this pre-school enthusiastic and keen to start their day. Staff greet individual children as they independently find their own pegs and hang up their belongings. Staff thoughtfully plan a range of stimulating activities that support children's individual learning, incorporating their own interests. As such, children are quick to become absorbed into activities and play experiences. For instance, they delight in caring for their growing carrots they have planted and immerse themselves in bug hunts as they learn how to care for nature. This supports children to be motivated and engaged in their learning.

The manager and staff team have worked diligently to make the necessary improvements since the last inspection and have sustained previous improvements made. Together, they have fully embedded a new, well-thought-out curriculum which prioritises all children's individual learning needs. The manager has strengthened staff supervision sessions to identify gaps in staff's knowledge. She ensures that they receive the coaching and targeted training needed to improve their personal effectiveness in their roles. This greatly improves the learning outcomes for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Consequently, this enables all children to make the good progress they are capable of.

Staff understand the importance of children feeling safe and secure. They develop positive and caring bonds with children. They ensure that children's individual needs are consistently met throughout the day. Children enjoy staff interaction, and excitedly seek them out for play, praise and support when needed. This positively supports children's emotional well-being.

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

• Staff thoughtfully plan appropriate and meaningful learning experiences for children. The new curriculum is well balanced and tailored to support individual children's learning needs. Children have opportunities to develop their skills in all seven areas of learning. Staff know the children well and precisely plan for their individual next steps. They know what skills children have already learned, and what they want to teach them next and why. This sets children up for future success.
• Interactions between staff and children have improved significantly. The manager has ensured that systems are in place to ensure that children with identified speech delay are referred for additional support in a timely manner. Staff appropriately narrate children's play. They use simple words alongside repetition and gesture for younger children as well as those needing additional support. Older children have opportunities to take part in meaningful back-and- forth conversations. Staff introduce children to new words such as 'tadpole' and 'froglet'. This helps children to broaden their spoken vocabulary. However, on occasion, not all staff identify and build on children's interests during play. This means that, at times, not all staff extend children's thinking as fully as possible. This does not consistently encourage children's curiosities in new experiences to extend their learning.
• Staff ensure that basic counting and number language are used within everyday experiences. However, staff do not always make the most of opportunities to introduce more challenging language and ideas for older children to extend their understanding of mathematical concepts. This impacts the progress children can make in this area of development.
• The provision for children with SEND is good. The special educational needs coordinator has received additional training and support in her role. This strengthens her understanding of how to implement effective individual educational plans for children. These are personalised, with specific strategies to support children's well-being and next steps in learning, consistently and appropriately. All staff understand the importance of working in close partnership with parents as well as a range of other professionals. This ensures that all children have their needs consistently met and make good progress alongside their friends.
• Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and model these expectations positively and consistently. They have a calm and consistent approach when supporting children to understand right from wrong. Additional support is given to children who at times struggle to understand their own emotions. This contributes to children's good behaviour. Furthermore, staff give gentle reminders and explanations as to why they have asked children not to do something. For instance, staff remind children to take care when using the indoor climbing frame, gently warning that some actions may hurt themselves or their friends. Children listen and respond positively. This supports children to begin to understand how to keep themselves and others safe.
• Children's independence is well promoted by staff. For instance, children have opportunities to safely cut their own fruit and pour their own drinks for snacks. They delight in having the responsibility to wash up their own cutlery when they have finished. Staff give children encouragement and praise when they succeed. This supports children to develop their own self-confidence and prepares them for future life skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all staff to consistently recognise opportunities that arise from children's interest during play and extend children's thinking skills to enhance their learning even further
• make greater use of everyday opportunities to extend older children's understanding of mathematical concepts.