Tilly's Preschool Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the pre-school happily. They separate from their parents easily and eagerly greet staff, ready to start their day. For instance, children quickly recognise their names and pictures on the card on the table. They independently place their name-card on the board under the picture of their key person. Staff supervise children well. They teach them about how to keep themselves safe. For example, when out in the community, children learn about staying together and who are safe people to ask for help. Staff plan challenging activities which, overall, motivate and interest children. Children enjoy exploring the water and learning about floating. For instance, they fill tubes with water and add pretend spiders that float. Children respond to staff's praise and show high levels of self-esteem. All children make good progress from their starting point.

Children persevere and try hard during activities. For instance, younger children try to cut with scissors. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities explore with play dough. They roll the dough and make different shapes. They happily talk and share resources when they play. Children recreate experiences as they dress up as their favourite superhero. They confidently seek out each other and staff to share their experiences.

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

• Staff plan a curriculum which follows children's interests and generally takes into account of what they need to learn next. Children are enthusiastic, have a positive attitude to their learning and develop skills that they need for their future learning. However, staff do not consistently think about the skills that the youngest children need to learn during adult-led activities, to extend their learning even further.
• All children develop their early literacy skills well. Staff provides many opportunities to support children to develop their small-muscle skills. They write their name and make marks with pens, pencils, and paint. Staff read stories and sing songs with children each day. Children join in with repetitive words and phrases as staff read to them.
• Staff encourage children to extend their mathematical skills when they play. For example, children talk about the different-sized birds they see in the park. They count the number of 'big' birds and 'small' birds. They take part in action songs and number rhymes. Younger children confidently recognise and name shapes during activities. For instance, they talk about 'round' hoops and 'long' beams.
• Staff support children's language development well. They provide a commentary on what children see on their walk and introduce new vocabulary. For example, they introduce the words 'heron' and 'goslings'. Staff ask children questions which encourage them to give a detailed response. Children become confident communicators.
• Staff support children to have an awareness of the diverse world in which they live. For example, they provide pictures, books, resources and dolls which reflect the differences among children. Children learn about events that are important to others, such as Diwali.
• Children learn to be independent. They are able to dress themselves and put on their coat and take it off. Staff work with parents to make sure that children bring a healthy and balanced packed lunch each day. Most children are able to use the toilet on their own and know the importance of washing their hands. However, on occasion, assistance for parents to support children with potty training is not always implemented, to further develop children's skills.
• All children behave very well. Staff explain clearly how they expect them to behave. They teach children to share, take turns and listen to each other. Children are kind and caring to their friends.
• Staff provide parents with regular information about the activities their children take part in. They give verbal feedback at the end of each session. Parents are happy with the service that the pre-school provides.
• Staff make sure that children have opportunities to play outdoors in the fresh air each day. Children develop their physical skills when they visit the nearby park and play indoor obstacle games. They learn about the natural world. For example, they talk about the trees in the park and how they change.
• The manager supports staff to manage their workload and maintain their well-being. She makes sure that she targets professional development and focuses on monitoring and supervision of staff. This helps to extend the quality of their practice and provision to a good level.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan adult-led activities more carefully to take account of the skills that younger children need to learn, to maximise their learning
• provide further support for parents with regards to helping children with skills such as potty training, to support children's self-care and independence.