The Park Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff support children to settle quickly and to understand the high expectations of them at the friendly pre-school. Children quickly form strong bonds with the small staff team, showing that they feel secure at pre-school. They enjoy playing and learning with their friends as they choose from the good range of activities on offer. Staff plan activities with children's next steps and interests in mind. They promote positive attitudes as they help children to learn about routines and independence. Children enjoy singing and stories with staff and join in with familiar words and actions. Staff promote discussions and expand children's vocabulary through daily activities. Children are chatty and confident. They make good progress in their learning.

Staff help children to learn about their community and people who help us. For instance, children enjoy visits from police officers and from a local farmer, who brings his tractor for them to see. They learn about topical events, such as Remembrance Day, in an age-appropriate way and visit a cenotaph to see the poppy wreaths. Staff take children to a supermarket to buy ingredients for pumpkin soup, which they help to make and eat for their snack. This helps children to make links in their learning and to begin to understand the wider world.

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

• Staff work well together and have a clear understanding of the knowledge and skills they want children to learn. Interactions with children are supportive and promote their learning well. Staff understand how to build on what children know and can do and gradually prepare them for their eventual move on to school.
• Training enhances staff's teaching skills and their ability to support children and families. Training is targeted to meet children's needs. The views of staff and parents are considered and reflected on when planning for the provision. This helps to ensure that children get the most benefit from their time at pre-school.
• Staff consistently reinforce expectations and model respect and good manners. Children respond by quickly following instructions and behaving very well. They line up to wash their hands before lunch without prompting, for instance. Consequently, the environment at pre-school is calm and conducive to supporting children's learning.
• Children learn to become independent. Staff support them to manage their own self-care needs and to make their own choices about their day. Staff encourage children to have a go at tasks before asking for help. Children learn important life skills.
• Children enjoy stories and listen intently as staff read to them. Staff ask questions to check children's understanding and sensitively draw quieter children into discussions. Children joyfully join in with their favourite songs, paying close attention as staff whisper parts of the song. Staff promote children's communication and language skills well.
• Children's physical skills are well promoted. Staff support children to balance carefully on low planks as they practise their coordination, for instance. Staff plan daily activities such as shaping dough to promote hand strength and movement in preparation for early writing. Children play outdoors each day and use local parks to get plenty of fresh air. Their overall well-being is well supported.
• Staff have clear procedures to monitor and assess children's progress. They identify any gaps in children's learning effectively and help them to catch up, where possible. They understand when it is helpful to access additional support from outside agencies. Staff work well with other professionals to support vulnerable children. All children are supported to make good progress from their own starting points.
• Staff keep parents informed of what children do during their day and about their progress. However, staff do not always gather enough information from parents to help them find out about children's prior experiences and backgrounds. Methods of communication are not always fully effective for all families. This hinders the consistency of care and learning between home and pre-school on occasion.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen arrangements for gathering information from parents at the outset and consider how communication with parents can be managed most effectively for all families on an ongoing basis.