Tinky's Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The pre-school is inviting and interesting for the children. Children have access to many different activities to support their learning and development. In addition, staff introduce new activities, challenges and skills every day for the children to explore and learn from. Children can choose these independently. This choice fosters confidence and a love of learning. For example, children take toys from well-organised storage areas, such as building logs or colouring pencils and paper, and develop creative and critical-thinking skills. Children choose to take part in daily group projects, such as brushing the teeth of toy dinosaurs, to develop fine motor skills, social skills and to support their awareness of the importance of dental hygiene.

Children are kind to each other. Their behaviour is positive. Children make good friends and staff model high expectations for behaviour. Children are well supported to try new things and praised for their achievements.

Children are able to explore a large outside area, where they run and play. They develop balancing skills on steppingstones and balance beams. They enjoy creating 'meals', cooperating with each other and socialising in the mud kitchen. They have access to a large play area and woods, where they enjoy 'outdoor' learning sessions and develop their understanding of nature and the wider world.

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

• Managers have developed an ambitious curriculum, and they have the same ambitions for all children. They ensure that children, and particularly those who are less advantaged, have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life. Children make good progress. However, children's learning could improve further by consistently providing activities that encourage deeper levels of concentration and challenge.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Staff take quick action when they notice a child is in need of additional support, and they make appropriate referrals. Managers spend additional funding effectively. Staff are knowledgeable in using successful strategies to help children gain confidence and make progress. Links with specialists, such as speech and language therapists, are strong. Families of children with SEND are well supported.
• Staff ensure that their own speaking and listening enables children to hear and develop their own language and vocabulary well. They use projects to help broaden children's exposure to new words. There is a library of books that children can take home to read. There are lots of interesting books available around the room and outside. However, at times, opportunities for staff to read to children are missed and, as a result, children are sometimes not fully supported to speak with increasing confidence and fluency or guided in the preparation for them to become fluent readers.
• Links with parents are strong. Managers and staff communicate with parents daily. Parents give positive feedback about children's development. Parents say that they are well informed, that activities are interesting and their children are happy. Staff send home 'learning packs' to support the children's understanding. Different packs cater for different needs. For example, one pack supports numeracy, and another helps children learn how to use scissors.
• Children explore and express their emotions. There is a mindfulness corner for the children to relax in and read books about feelings. They also have a mirror to look at their reflection, and they think and talk about how they are feeling.
• Transitions to primary school are positive, especially to the primary school that is located in the same building as the pre-school. Teachers from the school get to know the children who will be moving up. They also give lessons to children who are ready to learn letters and numbers and provide training sessions to the staff at the pre-school. Older children enjoy eating their lunch in the primary school hall. This experience helps the children to become used to eating with lots of children, develop confidence and get to know their future teachers and school.
• Staff support the children to make healthy food choices and to develop good hygiene practices, such as handwashing and toothbrushing. They encourage children to be independent, such as during snack time, where they spread their own butter on their toast and wash up their dishes when they have finished.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance children's learning further by extending activities to encourage deeper levels of concentration and learning
• ensure all children develop a love of books and reading to develop strong foundations for future learning, especially in preparation for becoming future readers.