Tiddlers Preschool Hersham LTD

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle well in this calm and nurturing pre-school. They form strong bonds with staff, which helps them to feel safe and secure. Children are confident and independent. Staff's enthusiasm and natural approach to help and support children shines through. For example, they offer lots of praise and encouragement and are always on hand to give a reassuring cuddle when needed. Staff support children's behaviour effectively, for example, when they struggle to share. Children behave well and engage in purposeful play.

Overall, all children make good progress from their starting points. Parents are very complimentary about the level of service they receive and highly rate the quality of care and education provided for their children. Staff at the pre-school work closely with parents to understand each individual child's likes and needs. Staff keep parents up to date about their child's progress, which helps them to continue children's learning at home. The manager is clear of the curriculum intent for children. Overall, staff generally provide a challenging curriculum for all children. They identify the skills that children need to acquire before they move on to school. Staff supervise children well and ensure they remain safe at the pre-school.

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

• The manager is very dedicated to her role and works collaboratively with the staff. Overall, the manager implements a good programme of coaching, mentoring and support. Staff report that they feel very happy in their work. The manager ensures that staff attend training courses to help them understand their roles in keeping children safe.
• Children love listening to stories at the pre-school. Staff support children's literacy skills well. For example, children move closer so they can get a better look at books when staff read with them. Children like to read on their own or with an adult. Children choose to sit and look at favourite books and talk about the characters with staff.
• Staff provide a range of activities which support children's physical development in the nursery garden, as well as indoors. Children practise their balancing skills outside and manipulate dough into shapes. Children enjoy being creative as they use pens and paint brushes to make marks as they start to gain an interest in making marks for a purpose.
• The setting is safe and secure. Recruitment and vetting arrangements are robust. All staff hold a paediatric first-aid certificate. This further assures children's safety. Staff receive safeguarding training regularly and all staff understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities.
• Overall, staff build on what children know and can do. They use this information to provide a range of activities for the children, to help them learn. However, on occasion, consistency of the quality of teaching practice varies.
• Staff weave mathematical concepts well through children's play. For example, children are encouraged to count the sides of shapes and discuss size as they create with play dough. Children enjoy pretending to make cakes and talk about weight and the amount of ingredients needed with staff. This helps support children's understanding of mathematical concepts.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and further improve support to develop staff teaching skills to the highest level so that all children receive consistent learning opportunities.