Thurmaston Village Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive eager to play in the engaging environment created by the staff. They have strong bonds with all staff and settle quickly in their care. Children develop their confidence and hold vibrant conversations with staff and friends as they use their imagination to play with dinosaurs. They listen carefully as staff explain new vocabulary and share knowledge, for example that a brontosaurus had a long neck to reach high in the trees. Children develop their hand muscles, gripping and pushing small blocks to build a volcano with the staff's encouragement. They happily share their ideas about meteors and the colour of lava and show deep concentration during play.

Staff praise the children for behaving well and using good manners as they help to clean and set the table ready for snack time. Children count the seats to make sure they have put enough out for all their friends. They show their growing independence as they identify and collect their own water bottles. Children learn how to keep themselves safe on walks in the community. They hold their friend's hand and remind one another how staff have shown them to stand still with their arms folded if they see a dog. Children are inquisitive and ask staff a variety of questions about the nature they see, such as what the green algae is in the water.

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

• The staff know the children and their families well, including what interests the children have. They observe children to find out what they know and can do. This helps them identify what children need to learn next and how to address any gaps in their learning. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language.
• Staff plan activities based on children's current interests and focus on the skills and knowledge they want individual children to learn. They support children who are learning to use the bathroom independently to dress and undress dolls. Staff praise them for showing perseverance when doing up buttons and teach them keywords associated with getting changed. However, some staff only support children with what they have planned for them to learn from activities and therefore do not pick up on other opportunities to develop children's skills. This means some children do not make the progress they are capable of during some activities.
• Staff interact with children to help them develop their communication skills. They use repeated keywords for children who are learning English as an additional language. Staff talk to children about the Earth and explain new vocabulary, such as the word 'sphere' is a shape.
• Staff support children to share and negotiate the use of resources. They teach children new skills and extend their knowledge during daily routines, such as encouraging them to wash their own plates after lunch and showing them how to put antibacterial gel on their hands after being outside. However, staff are not always clear about what they expect children to do, which causes some children confusion. When staff clap their hands for children to stop and follow them to another room, children new to the setting are unaware of what this means and continue playing.
• The manager provides staff with some coaching and support, including training on communication and language. However, this is not tailored to staff's specific training needs. Therefore, although it is developing staff practice, it is not yet fully effective at improving the consistency of teaching and interactions for some staff.
• Staff offer children new experiences they may not get elsewhere. They help children investigate the vegetables they have grown in the community allotment, such as corn on the cob. Children say 'wow' and ask thoughtful questions as they excitedly pull the leaves apart to see what is inside. Staff explain they will cook the corn for the children to investigate further.
• Staff are committed to building good relationships with all parents and carers from when their children first start. Parents feel that their children are happy and relaxed in the setting. They comment that staff always support children's development needs and communicate with them about all aspects of children's care and education.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide staff with further support to be able to recognise and make the most of learning opportunities during activities
• develop staff's understanding of how to provide clear and consistent expectations most effectively
• strengthen how leaders identify and provide the necessary support for individual staff to improve the consistency of interactions, skills and knowledge.