Tiddlywinks Pre School (Bessacarr)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and managers have devised a clear curriculum to help children to develop a range of skills as they grow and develop. Children are warmly greeted by the staff, resulting in most of them happily and confidently entering the pre-school. Babies are supported to develop secure attachments to staff. During outside play, babies enjoy seeing their older siblings. Their faces light up when their siblings come over to say hello. Children are encouraged to use good manners and to behave well. Staff help them to recognise the core emotions of when they are sad, angry and happy. Children remain safe. The premises are securely maintained and staff follow safeguarding procedures to ensure that children remain protected from potential harm.

Popular books are shared with children throughout the pre-school, with staff planning interesting activities to further enhance children's learning. For example, after reading 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' story to the older children, staff plan an interactive activity which is differentiated to suit the needs and abilities of each child. The oldest children are encouraged to complete simple addition and subtraction sums using fruit associated with the story. Younger children are encouraged to count out the correct number of fruits. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are encouraged to identify a named fruit between two different choices. Children remain engaged for a good length of time as their interest is successfully sustained by staff.

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

• Staff introduce lots of singing into babies' play. For example, as a baby pulls to stand and navigates onto the rocker, staff begin to sing 'Row, row, row your boat'. They smile as they gently move the rocker backwards and forwards. The continual dialogue offered by staff, and the use of singing, helps to support babies' early communication skills.
• When staff read stories to older children, they regularly pause, which allows children to recall popular words and phrases. During the fruit activity, older children correctly identify the letter sounds associated with each fruit. Staff further promote children's awareness of letters and sounds as they encourage them to find objects around the room associated with specific letter sounds.
• During some routine experiences, staff are unable to consistently provide children with quality interactions. For example, at snack time, staff's focus is on overseeing all children, rather than offering quality interactions and engagement. This means that staff are unable to fully help each child to further develop their skills, such as learning how to butter their own rolls. When children go outside, staff encourage them all to enter the conservatory area to access their outdoor clothing. While staff try and promote children's independence, they are unable to effectively support each child, as the experience becomes rushed.
• During outside play, children learn to safely use the designated space for riding trikes and cars. They learn how to care for living things as they water the vegetables and flowers they have planted. Staff provide an enclosed, secure area for younger babies who are not yet walking, to keep them safe from the more active older children. Older babies are supervised as they access the main play area, where they enjoy mingling with the older children.
• Children are encouraged to learn how to sit and listen. Staff work with children on managing their emotions. They offer reminders about sharing and taking turns, helping children to learn to socialise and play cooperatively together.
• The manager is the new special educational needs coordinator, and another staff member is also undertaking training to support her in this role. Personalised learning plans are in place for children with SEND, and these are implemented well during focused activities. However, targeted interventions to support the communication skills of children with SEND are not consistently used during free-play opportunities.
• Leaders and managers wisely consider how best to spend additional funding so that it has the most impact on the children. In some instances, it is spent on purchasing additional resources to aid children's continual development in specific areas. In other cases, it is spent on purchasing school uniform so that children's sense of self-worth and emotional security are promoted during periods of change.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider how routine daily events are organised so that staff continue to provide all children with quality interactions which enhance their independence skills
• help staff to consistently include the range of targeted communication and language strategies identified for children with SEND, in their free play.