Tavistock Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the pre-school. They make their own choices of where to play and what to do. Children engage enthusiastically in their learning activities, developing their concentration and maintaining their interest very well. Children persevere at tasks, such as when putting on their coats and gloves to go outside. Staff encourage them positively to keep on trying. This helps children to build on their self-care skills and develops their resilience.

Children form close bonds with their key person and other staff, which helps them to feel safe and secure. Children generally understand the behaviour expected from them and how to manage this. For example, older children talk about using a sand timer to take turns with resources. When occasional disagreements between children occur, staff guide them calmly. Staff get down to the same level as the children to help them to negotiate with others. They praise children warmly and delight in their achievements, which helps to boost children's sense of pride and self-esteem.

Staff know their key children very well. They have a strong understanding of individual children's development and progress. Staff support all children's learning successfully, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This helps all children make good or better progress from their starting points.

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

• The manager, staff and committee are very dedicated and work closely together as a team. This results in a strong quality of provision and practice. Staff receive good support for their well-being and professional development. They share new learning from training and research with each other and use it to develop their practice. This helps to build on the quality of children's learning experiences.
• Staff understand the curriculum effectively and implement the learning intentions successfully. They join children at inviting and engaging activities and provide interactions that extend children's skills and knowledge. For example, staff ask children questions that help children to think and solve problems. Staff use additional funding thoughtfully, such as buying new resources to reflect children's learning preferences.
• Children who need extra help in their learning receive effective support. This includes children with SEND and those learning English as an additional language. Staff work closely with relevant professionals and parents to provide a consistent approach. They implement successful strategies to meet children's individual learning needs. For instance, staff lead small-group activities. This helps children develop their listening and attention skills and builds on their communication and language development. In addition, staff use visual pictures when needed, to promote children's understanding and communication.
• Staff provide good settling-in arrangements, which help children and families feel comfortable. These include home visits and stay-and-play sessions. Children make friends, particularly as they become more established and confident at the pre-school. They enjoy playing together, for example during role play where they share ideas and use their imagination. Sometimes, staff do not fully consider how to encourage some children to make links with other children, to help them build relationships more quickly.
• Children develop their skills and abilities effectively, helping to prepare them securely for their future learning. Children confidently peel their own fruit and pour their drinks at snack time, which develops their independence and small physical skills. They develop their large physical skills, including balancing and learning to pedal and steer bikes safely along a 'road'. Staff understand that these physical activities develop children's muscles, control and coordination, which contributes to their future writing skills.
• Children develop positive behaviours while at the pre-school, such as becoming friendly and sociable. Staff mainly support children's awareness of the behaviour expectations effectively. They understand the importance of supporting children to regulate their own behaviours. On occasion, staff are not consistent in reminding children about expected behaviour. For instance, some children do not always follow the expectation to walk indoors.
• There are effective partnerships built with parents, other early years settings that children attend, schools and professionals. This promotes effective continuity in meeting children's needs from when they start and throughout their time at the pre-school and when moving to school. Parents praise the pre-school highly. They comment on the effective communication with the approachable and friendly staff. Parents say that their children love going to pre-school, make very good progress and 'thrive' there.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to build on children's understanding of the behaviour expectations, to help enhance their ability to regulate their own behaviours further
• extend the support provided to children to develop stronger links with each other, to help them build and establish relationships more quickly.