Thomas Estley Pre-School and Out of School Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy at the pre-school and they are warmly greeted by staff. They understand the routine. Children select their name, place their belongings on a peg and attach their name card. This gives children a sense of belonging and promotes independence. Staff thoughtfully support children to separate from their parents. They offer children a cuddle and seek out their favourite activity. Children value the caring nature of the staff; they feel reassured and safe. Children soon engage in the activities set up for them, seeking out their friends to join in with their play.

The outdoor learning environment provides children with opportunities to explore and experience physical challenge. For example, children arrange plastic reels, crates, planks of wood and hoops to make an obstacle course. They take turns to negotiate their way over the course. Children learn to balance and use their large muscles for intended movements. They make the activity more challenging by taking reels away, so they have to stretch their bodies further. Children work together to rebuild a slope and say 'thank you' to their friends for helping. Furthermore, children learn to take manageable risks. They skilfully climb trees and squeal with delight as they swing from the branches.

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

• Staff find out about the experiences children have had before they attend the pre-school to support their future learning. For example, staff have identified that during the COVID-19 pandemic, some young children have spent less time mixing with others. For these children, staff support their social skills through routines and activities to encourage sharing and turn taking.
• The pre-school staff develop effective links with local schools, supporting a smooth transition when it is time for children to move on. Furthermore, staff work closely with other settings that children attend. Children's next steps and achievements are shared. This joined-up approach ensures consistency for children and helps them to make progress.
• Overall, children behave well. Staff support them to develop good social skills and manners. They say 'please' and 'thank you' and play cooperatively with their friends. Children follow instructions and make their own choices about what they would like to play with. However, on occasions, staff do not consistently support children to understand how their behaviour affects others.
• Leaders and staff have a strong focus on self-evaluation. They regularly evaluate what activities and resources have worked well. If an activity or resource is not accessed, staff think about how they could adapt it to better meet the interests of the children. The manager meets with staff individually to discuss their well-being and professional development. Training needs are identified and planned for. This helps staff to improve the knowledge and skills they need to teach children effectively.
• Parents are highly complementary about the pre-school and say they would not change a thing. They report that they receive regular updates about their children's achievements and staff share ideas of activities to do at home. This supports children to make progress and embed learning. Parents say that staff obtain their views and feedback. They ask for suggestions and comments on activity ideas. This demonstrates collaborative working and gives parents a voice.
• Staff teach children about other cultures through celebrations. However, staff do not always help children to reflect on their own differences, or develop their understanding of what makes them unique.
• Staff provide opportunities for the pre-school children to mix with older children. They huddle together in the cosy area and share their chosen book. This enhances children's social skills. Children are gaining a love of books. They benefit from visiting the school's library and take out books to share at home.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well cared for. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with parents and external professionals to ensure the needs of children with SEND are met.
• Staff generally plan suitable activities that are exciting and support children's interests. For example, children experiment in making their own 'perfume'. They hunt for items in the garden to use for the ingredients and then mix them together with water. However, during some activities, staff do not always sequence children's learning appropriately. This results in some activities being too challenging for some children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide children with more rich experiences to promote their understanding of their own differences and what makes them unique
• enhance children's understanding of the impact of their actions on others to help them to manage their own behaviour
• support staff to consistently implement a curriculum that is sequenced and offers children appropriate challenge, to extend children's learning even further.