Tiddley Peeps Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy in this friendly pre-school. They eagerly take off their shoes and coats and hang up their bags as they come into the pre-school. Children confidently move around, choosing where and what they want to play with. They show confidence and develop their physical skills as they jump safely off the wall with staff supporting them. They climb the slide, turn around at the top and safely negotiate sliding down. Children shout 'look I've done it' as they successfully balance and make their way along the plank and logs.

Children have a positive attitude to their learning and join in activities. They thoroughly enjoy exploring the glue, paint and glitter. Younger children investigate as they drip glue onto their paper and smear it with their fingers. Older children create glittery pictures. They develop their small-muscle skills as they use glue spreaders and paintbrushes to draw lines and circles.

Children use their imagination as they play in the mud kitchen. They mix mud with leaves and stones, pretending the mixture is soup. Staff encourage children's play as they ask them about the vegetables they are going to put in their soup. This inspires children to pretend to go off to the shops to buy some broccoli and carrots.

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

• The manager and staff implement a curriculum that is exciting and promotes children's interests. Staff provide opportunities for children to be curious and explore. For example, children find a snail and worm as they play outside. They demonstrate their knowledge as they talk to staff about the worm wiggling under the soil and the snail leaving a trail. This triggers off their curiosity and they return inside to confirm if their pet snail does the same.
• Staff focus on supporting children's communication and language skills, which helps their future learning. They use sign language to help children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to communicate. Staff provide a running commentary as young children play and encourage them to talk about what they are doing. They ask older children questions to enable them to share their thoughts and ideas. Older children excitedly talk about their different homes and confidently describe their bedrooms.
• Overall, staff support children's early mathematical skills well. They encourage children to use mathematical language, such as full and empty, as they fill buckets with water. They encourage children to make shapes in the play dough. However, staff do not always encourage children to count or use numbers during their play to increase their mathematical skills further.
• Parents' comments about the pre-school are positive. They describe how they receive regular updates about children's progress via daily discussions with staff.
• This helps parents to further support their child's learning at home.
• The manager and staff gather information from parents about the experiences children have at home. They use this information to plan further opportunities to increase children's experiences. For example, children learn to use small tools safely. They access the outdoor woodwork area and carefully use hammers to knock nails into pumpkins.
• Staff are good role models for behaviour. They offer praise, encouragement and reassurance as children play. Staff provide gentle reminders about taking turns and sharing. Any slight disputes are managed well. Staff get down to the children's level and talk calmly as they reinforce turn taking and playing harmoniously together.
• Children develop their self-care skills. Older children know to put on outdoor playsuits and wellington boots before going outside to play. They take them off as they come back inside and put on their slippers. Children confidently wash their hands before having snack. They collect their own plate for snack and help themselves to a banana and a drink. This helps children to further develop their independence.
• The manager is knowledgeable and passionate about the pre-school. She supports staff by carrying out supervisions and appraisals to help improve their practice. Staff attend training to enhance their knowledge and further support children's learning. The manager explains how a course on communication and language has helped staff to use singing and books more effectively, to promote children's listening and speaking skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve staff skills in how to support children to count and recognise numbers during their play, to help develop their early mathematical skills further.