Treehouse Nursery and Pre schools

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are busy and settled at the pre-school. Parents confidently drop their children off, knowing that they are safe and well cared for by the established staff team. Staff form warm and caring relationships with children, which helps children to feel welcome and ready for their play.

The manager has ensured that there is a strong focus on the prime areas of learning. This means that children develop a secure base of knowledge and skills, which helps to prepare them for the next stage in their learning. Many of the children at the pre-school are learning English as an additional language, and staff make sure that the educational programme meets their needs. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. Staff ensure that any concerns about children's development are identified early and help is sought from other agencies appropriately.

Children learn how to take turns and share resources. Staff support them to follow the pre-school's 'golden rules' and are consistent in their approach. Children are beginning to learn what is expected of them. Older children share their understanding of the rules confidently during the morning circle time. Staff quickly intervene to support children who struggle to regulate their behaviour. Older children are kind to the younger ones. They are keen for them to take part in role play, and help them put on dressing-up outfits when playing in the home corner.

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

• The manager and staff are aware of the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on very young children. Staff take great care to ensure children's well-being and to support children to feel emotionally secure at the pre-school. This supports children's readiness to learn. Staff use their observations and assessments appropriately to ensure that all children's needs are met.
• Staff sing songs throughout the morning and children enjoy joining in. While completing a jigsaw of a bus, staff start singing 'The wheels on the bus go round and round'. The well-known and often-repeated song helps children to develop their confidence. Soon, even the quietest children sing the refrain too.
• Children are encouraged to look after their environment. They cooperate well with staff and practise their physical skills as they tidy the setting. For example, children soak up the residual water in the water tray with a sponge, squeezing out the excess into a bowl. Children use their muscles, as they help staff to roll up the outdoor play mats in readiness for home time.
• Children learn to treat each other with respect. They are encouraged to listen to each other and to staff. Staff ensure that children learn about a wide range of cultures and religions. For example, the manager includes a range of festivals in the learning programme, such as Diwali, Holi and Christmas, and parents contribute to the planned activities.
• Staff introduce mathematical concepts throughout children's play. Children have ample opportunities to count, such as counting the number of children sitting on the mat at circle time. They explore concepts of 'full' and 'empty' at the water tray. Some children recognise and name shapes, such as a hexagon, and know that placing two semicircles together makes a circle.
• Children eat well and healthily at snack time. They enjoy a wide range of fruits and name their favourites. Older children help to prepare the fruits, carefully slicing the bananas. They demonstrate good small muscle control as they serve their friends with a large spoon. This helps children to develop their confidence and independence skills.
• Staff provide books for children, inside and outside. However, staff do not ensure that children are given every opportunity to develop a love of books, poems and rhymes, in readiness for school. This means that children do not frequently share and discuss books and stories with staff and each other, to develop their vocabulary further.
• Staff are valued and appreciated by the manager, who is keen to ensure their well-being. Staff feel they have been well supported during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been a period of significant disruption for the pre-school, including a change in premises. Staff have opportunities to discuss their personal development and identify their training needs during supervision meetings.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the delivery of the curriculum for literacy to ensure that children have frequent opportunities to explore books and actively engage in stories, poems and rhymes.