The Wendy House At St Michaels

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy the time that they spend at the pre-school. Staff get to know the children well and plan effectively to help them settle. For example, staff lay out their favourite activities so children arrive happy and ready to interact. Staff are passionate about the education that they provide to ensure children learn through play. Role play is set up to help children recognise jobs people do in the community. For example, staff carefully organise resources to reflect a doctor's surgery, hairdressers and a building site. Generally, children's behaviour is good. Staff support them when they need help to regulate their emotions.

Staff value each child's culture, and this is a focus across the curriculum. Staff learn key words from a large range of countries so that they can greet each child in their home language. Families and children look forward to the international week that the pre-school organises. Children see people in their traditional dress, sing songs and eat a wide range of food. Alongside this, staff take children to the local care home each week. They enjoy listening to stories and playing games with the residents. Children are learning about the diverse community that they live in and preparing for a life in modern Britain.

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

• Staff implement a sequenced curriculum throughout the pre-school. Weekly staff meetings allow them to explore what to do next to support children's progress. For example, younger children squeeze and manipulate play dough while older children weave string through wooden blocks. In the garden, a sensory activity provides children with a range of tools to scoop and grab. Staff help to develop children's dexterity and fine motor skills.
• Staff encourage children to be independent and make their own choices. For example, children can access water bottles and wash their own hands. However, at times, staff help children to complete tasks rather than support them to try for themselves. This means that children do not always have the opportunity to practise their independence skills.
• Staff use songs effectively during transitions and changes in routine. For example, staff sing when it is time to go inside from the garden. This gives children a chance to finish off their play and then line up together. When children need help to regulate their emotions, staff give children time to process their decisions.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported. They make good progress against personalised targets. Staff work with external specialists and implement effective strategies. For example, they use a picture card system to help children communicate. This means that children can share their ideas and feelings.
• Staff are reflective and discuss how they can improve the setting for children. For example, staff recognise that children do not regularly access books in play so they use puppets to enhance stories. Since their introduction, children excite and listen eagerly to stories. However, staff do not regularly share ideas and good practice with each other. This means that they do not have the opportunity to learn new strategies and teaching methods from other experienced practitioners.
• Children benefit from the well-established staff team. All staff have regular supervision to discuss their training and well-being. They feedback that they are very happy working at the pre-school, and some staff have worked there since it opened. This provides children with consistency as they transition between the different rooms.
• Staff have a focus on developing early mathematical skills through activities provided. For example, children arrange numbered tree stumps into sequence and use them to count. Parents feedback that at home their children can now count to 10 and beyond. Children are making good progress in their mathematical development.
• Parents feedback that they are very happy at the pre-school, and many children have had older siblings also attend. They like the home-from-home feel of the pre-school and say that staff are approachable and friendly. Parents know what their children have been learning and what they are working on next. They like to visit the pre-school and look through learning journals. Parents know how to support their child's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support children to build on their independence skills and learn to do things for themselves
• review and improve systems for staff to support and learn from each other and further develop practice.