Tadpoles Community Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff build warm, trusting relationships with children. As a result, children arrive happily and settle with confidence. Staff plan a good range of stimulating activities, both indoors and outdoors, which sparks children's curiosity and engagement. Children thoroughly enjoy their time in the outdoor area and can access a broad range of learning experiences. For example, children show high levels of engagement and concentration during a bug hunt activity. They develop their fine motor skills as they use tools to collect and observe the insects they find under logs, learning about the natural environment. Leaders place inclusion at the heart of the curriculum and set ambitious expectations for every child, including those in receipt of additional funding and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Consequently, all children make good progress in their learning from their starting points.

Staff implement a sensitive settling-in process tailored to meet children's individual needs. They undertake home visits in order to get to know the children, their routines and their families well from the outset. This helps children to feel safe and secure during the transition process. Children's behaviour is very good. Staff support children to learn the importance of sharing and taking turns while they engage in adult-led activities and during independent play. As a result, children treat each other with kindness and form positive friendships. Children demonstrate that they know the pre-school's routines and happily follow instructions.

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

• Leaders have designed a well-sequenced and ambitious curriculum that builds progressively on what children already know and can do. Staff take ownership of different areas of learning to champion and review the provision regularly and ensure that activities remain purposeful, balanced and responsive to children's interests.
• Staff positively support children's development as they play alongside them. They talk to children and ask questions to encourage them to think and express themselves. Staff model precise vocabulary and introduce new concepts naturally during play. During small-group activities, staff introduce language linked to exploring shape, patterns and texture. Children respond with enthusiasm, curiosity and imagination. However, at times, staff do not consistently focus their interactions to extend children's learning.
• Children show a strong interest in reading books with staff and their friends. They listen attentively and enjoy predicting what might happen next. Staff foster a language-rich environment where conversation, songs and storytelling are central to daily routines. Younger children listen with awe as adults describe what they see in pictures, while older children use new words in context.
• However, quieter children do not always benefit from opportunities to express themselves as much as those who are more vocal.
• Children with SEND are very well supported. Staff identify additional needs promptly and implement advice from external professionals effectively. They adapt the curriculum and learning environment to ensure that all children with SEND can access learning confidently alongside their peers. This inclusive practice ensures that every child feels valued and involved in all aspects of nursery life. Leaders use additional funding meaningfully to further enhance the provision.
• Staff encourage children to manage their own personal care during the day. For example, younger children independently fetch tissues to wipe their noses and practise putting on their own coats to play outdoors. They take pride in small responsibilities, such as preparing food they have grown in their allotment for snack time. As a result, children demonstrate strong levels of independence.
• The outdoor environment is thoughtfully set up by staff to provide an immersive extension of the indoor curriculum. Children work together collaboratively as they build obstacle courses and learn to take safe, measured risks. Children show immense pride in their allotment area, where they grow fruit and vegetables. As they pick and count baby tomatoes for their snack, they share their knowledge that they don't pick the green tomatoes because this means they are not yet ripe. These experiences cultivate curiosity, social skills and physical confidence.
• Partnerships with parents are a strength. Parents describe communication as open and consistent and appreciate the stability of the team. Staff provide parents with regular updates about their child's progress. They undertake collaborative discussions to ensure that learning is continuous, and families are actively involved in their child's development.
• Leaders are reflective and have clear plans in place to enhance the quality of the provision further. They monitor staff's practice closely through regular supervision sessions and coaching discussions. They identify professional development opportunities that strengthen consistency across the team. Staff describe feeling supported, valued and motivated to improve their practice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the quality of teaching to ensure that quieter and less-confident children have more opportunities to develop their communication skills and express their ideas during group activities
• build on existing professional development opportunities to support staff to consistently extend children's learning during their interactions.