Totterdown Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy. Staff work hard to build positive relationships with children and their families. They greet children warmly, helping children to settle into their routines. Staff's friendly and nurturing interactions help children to feel safe and secure and support their emotional well-being.

Children learn how to make good friendships and manage their behaviour. Staff develop children's emotional literacy effectively. For example, they ask children how they are feeling during group circle time. Staff receive 'thumbs up' and 'happy' responses. Children are highly motivated and eager to join in the wide range of activities on offer. They share and cooperate extremely well with others and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and play. Even when children struggle with self-control, staff sensitively and swiftly use highly effective strategies to support them. Through staff's role modelling and effective guidance, children's behaviour and attitudes are an outstanding aspect of the pre-school.

Staff plan the environment well. Children explore a variety of textures, tools and the natural world with curiosity. Overall, the curriculum is ambitious and designed to give children the knowledge they need to succeed in life. For example, staff foster children's independence and self-confidence well. Children make independent choices in what they wish to do. They self-register as they arrive and are supported to dress themselves and serve their snack and drinks. All children, including those in receipt of additional funding and those in need of specific support, make good progress.

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

• Leaders are ambitious and have a clear vision for providing high-quality inclusive care and education. Leaders engage effectively with staff, children and parents and use the curriculum to widen experiences for children. For example, they invite parents in to share special pre-school events and they welcome external visitors into the setting. For instance, a visiting farm attended the pre-school to enrich the children's learning opportunities.
• Staff are well deployed in the pre-school and ensure that their time is spent well, supporting children as they play. They have a secure understanding of child development and know how to plan for children's next steps in learning. However, on occasion, these plans are not implemented or sufficiently focused to support staff in recognising and creating more challenges for children, based on the skills and knowledge they want them to learn next.
• Staff know that children like to continue their learning outside and provide lots of activities in the garden. Children enjoy creating and playing with dough, sand and water. They have opportunities to use tools, such as scissors, paintbrushes and small garden equipment. They develop an understanding of the world and learn about habitats and nature as they make bird feeders to hang in the garden.
• Staff recognise the importance of children being able to communicate well. They model speech effectively and take time to enhance children's communication skills. Staff read familiar stories and sing frequently with the children. They encourage a love of books, words and literature to ignite children's early vocabulary, creativeness and imaginations.
• Children benefit from fresh air and a wealth of outdoor experiences all year round to enhance learning, resilience and curiosity. Older children delight in weekly forest-school sessions provided by an external teacher. These provide children with opportunities to explore the natural world and build on their communication. The sessions also encourage risk-taking in a safe environment and promote good opportunities for adventures and physical activities.
• Parents and carers offer the highest praise for the team and the work staff do. They comment that their children are very happy at pre-school, are making progress and that action is taken to act swiftly on any comments or suggestions. Furthermore, parents say that staff have the children's best interests at heart. Staff's attention to detail reassures parents that children receive good care.
• The pre-school's special educational needs coordinator is experienced and knowledgeable in her role. She works closely with each child's key person, family and relevant agencies to ensure all children, including those on the pathway to any diagnosis, receive targeted support to meet their developmental needs.
• The leadership team is strong and supportive of all staff. Staff are enthusiastic and say they really enjoy working at the pre-school. They are encouraged to further their training and build on improving their practice. For example, staff are supported through appraisal meetings and supervision sessions, mandatory training and various informal communications.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to build on staff's interactions and professional development to help raise the standard of teaching to the highest level.