Tideswell Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at this welcoming pre-school. Staff create an environment that encourages children's developing independence skills. Children pour their cereal and milk, wash their bowl, cup and cutlery and put their rubbish in the bin. Even the youngest children readily put on coats and boots for outdoor play. Staff are vigilant, offering a helping hand where needed. This helps children learn to do as much for themselves as possible. Children are thoughtful. They spontaneously fetch drinks for their friends and offer staff sprinkles from their dessert. Staff praise them for their kindness, which sees children smile with pride.

Staff provide well-considered outdoor activities, which children readily explore. Children work with their friends and staff to build car ramps. They safely move large cardboard boxes and tubes around, which they take turns rolling their cars down. Others practise their balancing skills, jumping and hopping onto squares. Children politely ask staff to rewrite the numbers that have faded. Staff motivate children, suggesting they use chalks to write the numbers themselves. Children focus, carefully tracing over the original lines. Staff notice the wind has blown number cards off the fence. Children collect the cards, working out with staff which order they go in. This supports children's growing mathematical development.

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

• Staff have developed a warm relationship with the children in their care. To this end, children play jokes with staff. Children proudly show staff their creations, and they go to staff when they are upset. Parents are positive about the setting. They state their children are making friends and developing their language skills. Parents are aware of their child's next steps. They state that staff share ideas with them, which enables them to continue their child's learning at home.
• Children use their imagination as they re-enact favourite stories. For example, staff enthusiastically read a book about a bear hunt. Children giggle with delight as they pretend to swish through long grass, squelch through mud and splash through the lake. Children show genuine interest, pointing out what they see in the pictures and predicting what will happen next. This helps children to develop a love of books.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their small muscles. This helps them practise the skills they need for early writing. For instance, staff help children follow instructions to make dough. They use scoops, spoons and jugs to measure and pour out ingredients. Children take turns to carefully stir the mixture. Staff encourage children to share ideas on how they cook at home and what ingredients they use. This helps children develop their conversational skills.
• Staff follow children's interests when planning activities. For example, staff know children have developed a keen interest in dinosaurs. Children are inquisitive, and they ask staff what type of dinosaurs are on the colourful cards. Staff help children use reference books to match the pictures. This helps children identify different dinosaur names. However, there are occasions when staff do not recognise children's emerging interests during activities. As a result, children's questions go unanswered and their interests are not extended further.
• Staff understand the importance of promoting children's good health and hygiene. They provide healthy snacks and fresh drinking water for children. In addition, staff encourage children to talk about what are healthy and unhealthy foods. Handwashing is an established part of the routine, and children readily wash their hands after using the toilet, after messy play and before eating.
• Staff are good role models, and they encourage children to share resources and use their manners. When children experience minor squabbles over the same resource, staff deal with this swiftly, helping them play together. However, at times, staff do not consistently reinforce the setting's rules to ensure that children understand what is expected of them. For example, not all staff help children to understand expectations, such as not standing on chairs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's skills in responding to children's emerging interests, in order capture their curiosity and build on what they already know
• support staff to be consistent in promoting behaviour management strategies to build on children's understanding of what behaviour is expected of them.