Tots Teachers Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the pre-school happily and with confidence. They settle into the pre-school routine quickly, eagerly exploring the wide range of exciting opportunities available to them. Staff are kind and caring in their approach and children have formed strong bonds with them. For example, they readily seek them out for cuddles and reassurance. Children's independence and self-care are well supported. For example, staff encourage children to go to the toilet by themselves, wash their hands and butter their toast.

Children are keen learners. They understand and follow the rules in the pre-school. Children learn how to keep themselves safe. They enjoy exploring the vast outdoor environment. Staff support children to assess and take age-appropriate risks. Children learn to work cooperatively, share and take turns. For example, they work together to safely move branches around to make a camp fire.

Children are constantly being spoken to. They learn new words while engaging in activities that interest them. For example, while building a tower from magnetic shapes, staff introduce the word 'sturdy'.

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

• The manager and staff have high expectations for all children. They know the children well. Staff follow children's interests, providing them with engaging and challenging activities. For instance, staff provide an exciting bug hunt on the field. They look at bugs through magnifying glasses and discuss their features. However, at times, staff do not always provide suitable explanations to extend children's understanding of animal habitats, to extend and challenge their learning further.
• The manager recognises the impact the pandemic has had on some children's physical development. Staff plan stimulating activities to encourage children to balance, climb and run. They utilise the outdoor space well. For example, staff encourage children to use the tyre obstacle course to crawl, climb and jump.
• Children are able to access books independently. Staff engage children in reading stories and singing. These are embedded as part of the daily routine. For instance, at circle time all children sit and choose familiar songs to sing. However, staff have not considered the length of these group times to ensure all children stay focused, in particular the younger children.
• Children listen and follow simple instruction well. Staff use age-appropriate language when communicating with children. They recognise the importance of building children's communication and language skills. Staff read stories and sing songs as part of everyday practice. They speak to children directly and clearly. Staff give children time to process and respond to questions asked of them.
• All children, including those who are learning to speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress in their learning and development. Staff work closely with parents and external services to provide for children's individual learning and developmental needs. They plan targeted support to help children make good progress.
• Partnership with parents is good. Parents positively comment about their children's experiences in the setting. They receive regular photos and updates of their children's learning through an online platform. Parents appreciate the range of different experiences their children have, particularly when exploring the vast outdoor area. They report that their children's development and behaviour have improved since attending the pre-school. For example, children are able to put their boots on themselves and use the apparatus in the garden with confidence.
• Staff well-being is highly important. The manager and director have effective strategies in place to support staff's well-being, ensuring the workload is appropriate and manageable. For example, they use a support group for the apprentices working within the company. The manager conducts regular supervisions and one-to-one meetings with the staff. Staff comment that they feel confident approaching the manager and director with any issues or concerns, including about their workload.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of group time to ensure that it is appropriate to all age groups
• support staff to recognise and use opportunities to further challenge and extend children in their learning.