The Learning Tree Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly welcomed as they arrive. They respond well to the care and affection that they receive from staff. Children who find it difficult to separate from their parents receive close attention from staff and quickly join activities. Children experience care routines that mirror those from home. Their successes are celebrated and shared by staff, including during toilet training. Children speak about important events and people in their lives and are encouraged to recognise and express how they feel. They learn about living things and different communities. Children show that they respect the different needs and abilities of their friends. Children discuss the benefits of the food that they eat with staff. They understand how to look after their bodies and develop healthy habits.

Children develop their curiosity well as they explore attractive learning opportunities. Children learn about technology and its uses, as they help staff to photocopy and display their artwork. Children are excited to discuss and experience the weather when it suddenly changes. They are keen to explore hailstones that staff collect during heavy downpours. Children use their bodies well and have good opportunities to exercise and play outside. They balance on beams, stamp in puddles, ride bicycles, and playfully chase their friends. They enjoy challenging learning opportunities and show that they are proud of their achievements.

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

• The manager and staff implement an effective curriculum. Children have frequent opportunities to experience different things, have a go, and practise important skills. Staff plan activities that build on children's interests and what they know and can do. This contributes to the progress that children make from their starting points in learning.
• The manager and staff are ambitious for children. They complete training that helps them to understand how to strengthen communication and language outcomes for children. Children receive consistent support from staff to interact with others in positive ways and build their vocabulary. Children benefit from targeted teaching support and activities based on their developmental needs and specialist advice.
• The special educational needs coordinator is very effective in her role. She uses her good knowledge of local procedures to access help and support for children and families. The progress of children who need extra help with their learning is regularly reviewed, with the close involvement of parents. Staff receive support to help them implement teaching strategies that focus on children's learning needs.
• Staff sequence learning for children well. Children develop and strengthen the small muscles in their hands as they snip pasta or manipulate scented dough.
• They go on to mimic the marks that staff make on paper. Children are excited to learn how to draw spiders, using circles and lines. Staff extend learning as they encourage children to count how many legs and look for spiders on the fence.
• Staff encourage children to be independent. For example, they encourage and praise children as they make persistent efforts to hook their coats on pegs. Children successfully peel fruit and quickly learn to feed themselves with adult support. Children generally behave very well. They enjoy helping with tasks, such as wiping down outdoor equipment after wet weather.
• Staff plan activities that help children to understand and acknowledge some well-known faiths and cultures. Children see and discuss photographs of themselves and their family members. This helps children as they settle in to pre-school routines. Some children have fewer opportunities to recognise their own languages and backgrounds as they play.
• The manager and staff work well with outside professionals. They share important information with teaching staff where the pre-school is located. Communication with other settings that some children attend is less well established. This gets in the way of a fully shared approach to children's learning.
• Parents speak very highly of the well-established and caring staff team. They value the consistent support and advice that they receive, such as how to ensure the safe use of technology at home, and healthy eating. Parents appreciate the stimulating environment that their children enjoy.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• expand opportunities for children to recognise, value and share their backgrounds and familiar languages
• establish and strengthen links with other settings that children attend, to promote a shared and consistent approach to children's learning.