The Barn Nursery & Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy spending time at this warm, welcoming pre-school. They feel safe and secure and soon settle into the pre-school routines. Children form close bonds with staff and their peers. They develop their social skills when they learn how to share and take turns. Supported by age-appropriate guidance from staff, children start to manage and regulate their own behaviour. They begin to understand their emotions and think about the impact their actions have on others.

Children make choices about their play and learning. For example, toddlers pretend to drive toy cars. Staff sing familiar rhymes to them as they play, such as 'Wheels on the bus', and children follow the actions. Children develop their co-ordination skills and core strength when they rock on seesaws and ride balance bicycles with adult help. They learn to manage risks when they climb on large tyres and use the slide.

Children learn about the lives of other people and their diverse community. They regularly attend a group where they and the elderly come together to enjoy movement and dance activities. A therapy dog is a regular visitor to the pre-school. This supports children's understanding of how to handle animals and treat them with empathy and care.

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

• Leaders are developing the curriculum to ensure children always benefit from purposeful and meaningful learning experiences. Staff know the progress their key children are making and identify their next steps in learning. In the main, during adult-led activities, staff build on children's prior knowledge and skills. For instance, children learn to sit, listen, and concentrate when staff read stories and sing familiar songs with them. However, less experienced staff sometimes provide activities without fully considering children's interests or what they want children to learn. As a result, children do not engage well with them.
• Leaders are proactive in seeking help for children where gaps in their learning are identified. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive good levels of support to help them make good progress. For instance, children delight in playing with bubbles. Staff explain to children how the wind moves the bubbles. They model sounds, such as 'swish' and 'whoo', to promote children's interaction and communication. Staff encourage children to build on their physical skills as they reach, stretch and bend to catch the bubbles.
• Children's communication and language skills are promoted throughout the pre-school. Babies smile and babble when staff sing familiar rhymes and read stories to them. Staff engage children in discussions about the ice-creams they are making during imaginative play. They talk about the ladybirds and 'funny' orange bugs they find in the pre-school garden. Children are confident to talk about their friends and families, such as the unusual jobs their grandparents have.
• Children develop their understanding of mathematical concepts. They count forwards and backwards during songs and rhymes. They think about space and distance during physical activities. Children explore weights and measures when they mix ingredients to make potions during role play.
• Parent partnerships are effective. Parents greatly appreciate the advice and support staff give them. For example, they help parents with toilet training and reducing the use of dummies. Staff provide regular updates about children's learning and give parents ideas to continue their child's learning at home. However, leaders do not have successful partnerships with other carers or settings that children attend. This means there is not a consistent two-way flow of information to support a shared approach to children's development and ensure continuity for children.
• Leaders complete staff supervisions meetings and observations to gain a clear understanding of their strengths and areas for improvement. They support staff's well-being well. Staff say they feel valued and are encouraged to drive change and improvements. For example, staff have changed the learning environment in the two-year-old room to give children more structure in their routines and a calmer space in which to play.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop partnerships with other carers and settings that children attend to encourage a two-way flow of information about children's learning and development and promote continuity for children
• continue to improve the curriculum so that all aspects of learning are coherently planned and sequenced and continually build on what children already know and can do to help them make the best possible progress.