Tolleshunt D'Arcy Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children come in eagerly to this pre-school and are greeted by welcoming and caring staff. They wave goodbye to their parents at the gate and walk in happily with staff. Children show that they feel safe and secure and have great relationships with all staff. They walk off freely and make their own choices in activities they would like to do. Children behave well, manage their own conflicts and take turns with others. Children spend a significant amount of their day outdoors. They show delight in the outdoor environment, running around smiling and engaging in a game of hide and seek with others. Staff provide regular opportunities for children to explore the local woodland area to inspire children's natural curiosity by exploring the world around them and the changes in the environment.

Children show positive attitudes to learning and are supported by staff to develop the skills needed to be ready for school. Children enjoy using technology to recite and act out familiar stories with staff using actions, promoting a love for literature. Staff support children to learn about the importance of being healthy, including their oral health. Children demonstrate their independence, self-serving their own healthy and nutritious snacks and pouring their own drinks.

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

• Staff provide activities to promote all areas of learning for the children. Staff know the children well and use what they know about their background and interests to support their learning. For example, children show an interest in looking after animals, so staff provide a vet role-play area to enable children to explore this interest further.
• Children enjoy exploring the outdoors, running and playing games with their peers. Staff ensure children have continuous access to learning, both indoors and outdoors, to develop a love for learning. This helps children to be confident and make independent choices in their play. Staff consider what they want children to learn next and make changes to the outdoor environment to support this. For example, staff provide junk modelling outside to support children's imagination, creativity and thinking skills.
• The manager and staff build strong relationships with families. They establish innovative methods for communication with parents and carers, informing them of their child's learning and interests. This effective communication with parents and carers provides them with ideas to support their child's learning at home. Parents report high levels of respect and gratitude for the pre-school, stating how much they appreciate staff being welcoming, professional and caring to all children. Parents report they feel that staff know their children well.
• Children know what is expected of them and follow the rules, boundaries and routines of the pre-school well. Occasionally, staff prioritise routine tasks over children's play and ask them to leave activities before they have finished to carry out hygiene routines.
• The manager has a clear vision of what she would like children to achieve during their time at the pre-school. She prioritises partnership working with families and builds strong relationships with them to gather information on what experiences children have had before they come to the pre-school, to build on what they already know and can do.
• Children enjoy daily group activities with staff and have formed good friendships with others, playing confidently and calling others by their name. However, staff do not consistently ensure that group activities are age and stage appropriate to support young children's engagement.
• The manager is passionate about staff's professional development opportunities and ensures all staff are supported through supervisions and appraisals. Staff are confident and knowledgeable in their role. The manager continually reflects on what the pre-school does well and ensures all staff attend regular training to improve on the already good practice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to make sure routine tasks are organised in a way that allows children to complete activities to their satisfaction
• review the organisation and teaching during group activities to ensure two-year-old children are consistently supported in their learning.