The Cornerstone Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at this highly inclusive community pre-school. They show that they feel safe and keenly play with each other. Children are confident and take pride in their achievements. For example, they want adults to see the models they make and what they can do. Children have the freedom to explore a variety of resources. They show a positive attitude to taking part in new experiences. For example, children persist at breaking blocks of ice with wooden hammers to free their toy frogs. Children have strong bonds with their key persons. They freely approach adults for cuddles and share their news from home with them.

Staff have high expectations of what children can do. They encourage children to take age-appropriate risks, such as by climbing, travelling and jumping off play equipment. Children are independent. They serve themselves and clear their own plates at mealtimes. Children confidently manage their own toileting and respiratory hygiene needs. They develop good control over their hand and finger muscles. Children enjoy squeezing colouring into flour using pipettes. This helps children as they learn to use pens, pencils and crayons for drawing and writing.

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

• Staff promote children's love of books and stories. Children listen well during whole group times. They enjoy hearing their favourite stories and become familiar with the events. Children confidently finish rhyming phrases and staff's sentences.
• Children play energetically together outdoors. They display good balance and coordination as they travel across the tunnel and throw bean bags at targets. Staff encourage children to discuss their feelings and support them to resolve conflicts. Older children enjoy being with their friends and seek each other out for cooperative play.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive good support. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) ensures that staff working with children are knowledgeable and experienced. She follows the advice of external professionals. Leaders use additional funding appropriately to provide individual interventions for children. This helps all children to make good progress.
• Staff make consistent efforts to broaden children's vocabulary. Children learn to use words, such as, 'rescue' or 'free'. However, at times, some children are not supported to communicate what they know or have learned. They become distracted by other children playing noisily around them. When this happens, staff speak loudly to make themselves heard. They do not sufficiently help children to understand the impact their noisier play has on others.
• Children have opportunities to learn about themselves and community celebrations. For example, the learn the significance of Guru Nanak from stories. Children enjoy making crafts when they learn about Christmas, Eid and Chinese New Year.
• Children enjoy learning to count as they transfer pine cones into various sized metal containers. Staff sit with children and encourage them to solve simple mathematical problems involving addition.
• Children enjoy using technology with age-appropriate software. Staff ensure that children are fully supervised and there are control filters to restrict what children can view. However, staff do not provide consistent opportunities for children to learn how to keep themselves safe when using the internet.
• Leaders build strong partnerships with parents. They have an open-door policy. Leaders welcome parents into the pre-school during and beyond their children's settling-in process. Parents describe the pre-school as a 'trusted environment'.
• Staff say that they are valued as professionals and have a high morale. Leaders proactively seek staff's input when considering areas for improvement. They provide regular training opportunities for staff to develop their childcare knowledge and practice.
• Leaders are approachable and advocate for children. They are sensitive to individual families' circumstances and offer them practical support, advice and guidance. Leaders place a sharp focus on staff's coaching, monitoring and supervision. This has resulted in them successfully addressing their previous inspection's action and recommendation. It has also led to several improvements in the quality of children's education.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• promote children's awareness of when they should play more calmly so that others can hear and contribute to discussions during adult-led activities
• increase opportunities for children to learn to keep themselves safe when they are online.