Ullesthorpe Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff work closely as a team to provide a welcoming environment for the children. They focus on developing strong relationships with children and their families. This ensures that children feel a sense of belonging and promotes children's confidence and social skills. Due to this, children happily explore resources, both indoors and outdoors, with their friends. They choose to experiment with ice and try to use a waterwheel. While they do this, staff enthusiastically immerse themselves in the children's play. Staff help children to think about how they can melt the ice. Children try different ways and persevere. After deciding to use warm water, children squeal with delight as they watch the ice melt and talk about what is happening. As they experiment, attentive staff ensure children's safety. They remind children that the ice is sharp and how to hold it carefully.

Staff provide inclusive experiences that all children can access. For example, during the singing session, staff sing with clear pronunciation, adding actions and sign language to help all children see, hear and understand the sounds and words. Children choose their favourite books and listen to stories carefully. As they share books, staff support a wide range of skills, ask open-ended questions and support children to count and learn to pronounce new words correctly. As a result, the children are gaining a love of books.

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

• The manager provides effective leadership. She has a secure overview of the pre-school and works collaboratively with the staff team. The manager supports staff with continued professional development to help them embed an ambitious and meaningful curriculum. The curriculum is tailored to the needs of all children and supports them to reach their potential.
• Staff ensure that their interactions with children during activities support communication and language development. They listen and respond to children thoughtfully, extending sentences. Staff ensure that children have ample opportunity to listen to and read stories. They ask questions and talk about the characters and pictures. Children enjoy singing songs every day. At mealtimes, children enjoy engaging in conversation and discuss events at home.
• Overall, staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Staff are positive role models and teach children to respect their environment and one another. When staff notice children showing an interest in practising their throwing skills when playing inside, they direct them to appropriate ways of using the ball indoors. Children are encouraged to sit with their friends and play a rolling game. This enables children to play together safely. Children show their understanding as they happily roll the ball to their friends. However, when children struggle to manage their behaviour, staff do not always help them talk about their feelings or understand and manage their emotions.
• Parents report that children enjoy attending the pre-school and have fun with their friends. They value that the staff are inclusive and provide for their children's dietary requirements. Parents are well informed about their children's care and development. They praise the staff for the support they receive and for their hard work in helping children to make progress. Staff help parents to support learning at home and have arranged a lending library. This enables children to choose books to share at home.
• Staff identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who need additional support. They work with parents and other professionals to ensure that appropriate support plans are in place. This helps to ensure that children are supported to make progress in their individual learning and development.
• Children develop social skills as they sit alongside staff and friends at snack and mealtimes. They demonstrate polite manners as they say 'please' and 'thank you' when passing things around the table. Staff support children to develop their independence and coordination. They encourage children to use serving tongs and pour drinks.
• Children enjoy regular opportunities to go outside and engage in physical play. They show interest and excitement as they use their senses to explore the outdoor environment on a cold and icy day. Children carefully study the ice that has formed. They learn about the properties of ice as they try to build with it and experiment with different tools to try to crack the ice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff skills in supporting children to manage their own behaviour.