The Beeches Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their pre-school day. They are greeted at the main gate by managers and staff who welcome them into the setting with a smile. Staff enquire how the children and their parents are. Children confidently tell staff that they are good and parents share relevant information from home with the staff to ensure they are aware of any changes or issues. On entry, children know where to place their belongings on their dedicated peg and proficiently change into their indoor shoes. The morning begins with a circle time, where staff and children discuss the day of the week and what the weather is like. Children know the routine well and engage enthusiastically in the discussion.

Children are well behaved. They show kindness and respect for each other and learn how to manage their own feelings with support from staff. For example, they seek out the help of adults when another child takes the resources they are playing with. Staff help them to negotiate turn taking and sharing. Children are provided with good opportunities to guide their own play and learning as they confidently move between the indoor and outdoor environments. Staff encourage children to play an active role in decision-making. For example, they select two stories and ask the children to vote on which one they want to hear first.

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

• Managers and staff have worked hard since the last inspection to improve all aspects of the pre-school. The environment is clean, well organised and risk assessed daily to ensure children play in a safe space. Children are now provided with more opportunities to initiate their own learning through child-focused play. Staff have developed strategies for supporting children during their freely chosen play.
• Changes in the leadership structure have created an opening for senior, long-standing staff to take on more managerial roles. The leaders are considering ways of building effective strategies to help those with managerial roles and responsibilities to become more confident and proficient in their new position.
• Parents spoken to at the time of the inspection speak highly of the staff and managers. They comment on the effective support their children receive when they need it, for example with speech and communication delays. Parents state that they feel that their children are safe and well cared for. They comment that their children love attending the pre-school.
• Staff support children's language development as they engage in purposeful conversations and introduce new vocabulary. For example, children recall that they learned the word 'reverse' the previous week, when they were discussing a vehicle going backwards. Staff are, however, less proficient at asking appropriate questions to enable children to think and work things out for themselves.
• Children know that when it is sunny and raining at the same time, they sometimes see a rainbow in the sky. They enthusiastically create one by mixing different coloured paints together to paint on a large wall tarpaulin. They know that if they add white to their colour, they will get a lighter shade.
• Staff embed the curriculum in everything they do, encouraging children to learn through their chosen play and with adult support. For example, children who begin racing cars are encouraged to mark where their cars stop. They are encouraged by staff to seek out tools to help them to measure whose car has gone the farthest.
• Staff make good use of the children's interests to enhance their learning. For example, children show an interest in animals and insects. Staff use this to introduce effective activities to help children to learn. For example, they are encouraged to find and use tweezers to pick up plastic insects hidden in soil and leaves. They talk with staff about the size, colour and shape of the insect and use rulers to measure how long they are.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's ability to encourage all children to express their thoughts and ideas and extend their learning
• strengthen the programme of professional development to support those with newly appointed managerial positions to embed their understanding of their roles and responsibilities.