Turvey Pre-School Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this welcoming pre-school. They demonstrate a strong sense of security as they confidently follow the routines and seek staff for comfort and play. Children behave well and staff swiftly and sensitively intervene to help children understand their feelings. Children use their imaginations and creativity as they have a go at the interesting opportunities provided. For example, they play with their friends, pretending to be mummies and daddies, extending the play to pretend to visit a holiday home.

Staff help children to develop a love of books and reading. Children choose to read books themselves and talk about them with visitors. Staff read, tell and help children act out familiar stories regularly. For example, children build a bridge to walk across. Staff help them to take turns being the troll and the goats. Staff narrate the story and children join in, excitedly saying the repetitive phrases. This helps children to remember stories and understand the sequence of events.

Staff plan opportunities that support children's physical skills well. They provide blocks and planks for children to build into a balancing track to develop their core strength. They stretch their whole bodies to paint poles and walls with large brushes and water. Children use glue, scissors and pencils with purpose as they make their own creations. This helps develop the small muscles in their hands and wrists.

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

• The provider has met the action set at the previous inspection. Furthermore, they have strengthened the procedure, when new adults join the committee, to avoid any difficulties in future. The provider and manager support the staff team well. There are regular meetings, where they reflect on practice and identify what they can do to improve learning opportunities for the children. However, this has not yet had enough impact on improving the overall quality of teaching to help children make consistently exceptional progress in their learning.
• The manager is an excellent role model, supporting the children to develop their knowledge and skills at every opportunity. Furthermore, the staff team have developed their curriculum, giving children a firm foundation for learning and future education. Staff use observations and assessments about children's learning continuously. They consider children's overall experiences from home and their individual needs. Staff discuss children's needs regularly and, as a result, staff are aware of how to support children through play.
• Children are learning about the natural world. They water plants and learn the names of flowers, such as nasturtium. Staff bring children's attention to the smell and feel of herbs while playing in the mud kitchen. Children care for insects they find in the bug hotel. This helps children develop respect for living creatures.
• Children are learning about how to keep themselves safe. Staff remind them of the expectations and help them to consider if doing something is a safe idea. Children remind their friends that they need their hat on when playing in the sun.
• Staff help children to become good communicators. They spend time with children and have interesting conversations with them at mealtimes. Staff introduce new vocabulary, such as fire hydrant, while children play with the small-world fire station. This helps to build on their vocabulary.
• Staff work very well with other professionals. The team go above and beyond to support families' entire well-being and seek out services that will help improve their lives. They liaise with specialists to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive the services they require. This includes spending additional funding in collaboration with parents to benefit children's overall development.
• Parents are extremely satisfied with the pre-school provision. They talk about how their children's social skills have flourished since attending the pre-school. They receive detailed updates about their children's day and their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• offer staff more sharply focused support to help them to consistently develop and extend children's knowledge and skills.