Urchfont Pre-school CIO

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive settled and ready to learn. They quickly engage in play, inviting staff to take a role in their activities. Staff excitedly accept their role and utilise the opportunity to extend children's learning. For example, children self-select stories to share with staff. Staff dutifully and passionately read the chosen stories, asking questions and discussing what might happen next. Staff prompt children to turn pages one at a time, helping children to notice how sentences read from left to right. This helps children to develop their literacy skills.

Leaders adopt a well-sequenced curriculum with a focus on independent skills. Staff deliver the curriculum well, which helps children to build the skills they need to be ready for their next stage. For example, children quickly learn how to become independent in dressing and undressing. Staff give children time to learn how to put their own coats, hats and gloves on. Furthermore, staff expertly support children and families in the steps they need to complete for successful toilet training. Children learn to manage their personal hygiene skills effectively.

Children feel safe and build strong, respectful relationships with staff and peers. They support each other without hesitation, fostering a harmonious environment that promotes positive behaviour and attitudes. For example, staff and children provide support to others when needed.

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

• Leaders listen to parents, staff and children to evaluate the effectiveness of their curriculum. Leaders are responsive to feedback and help staff to access the training they need to implement the curriculum well. For example, staff engage in individual and group training to develop their skills, share good practice and agree how to work together to help individual children's progress.
• Parents appreciate the staff's caring and trustworthy nature, as well as their efforts to promote home learning. Staff regularly share children's learning and development with parents through flexible communication systems. They provide examples of activities available to children in the setting and offer story bags for parents to use at home. Staff collaborate closely with parents to support children reaching their developmental milestones. This has a positive impact on children's early reading skills.
• Staff actively promote children's physical development in daily routines. They regularly lead yoga sessions, guiding children through breathing and stretching exercises that improve balance, core muscles and coordination. During these sessions, children eagerly follow instructions and contribute their own ideas, making the experience interactive and engaging.
• Staff organise the environment to create independent choices for children to express themselves creatively. Children have access to a range of materials and resources to make props for their play. They use straws, paper plates and sticky tape to create 'magic wands' to turn their friends into 'frogs'. Staff encourage children to take risks and add challenge in the shapes they make when being creative, helping them to develop their scissor skills and evolve their designs. This impacts on children to deepen their skills and understanding in expressive arts and design.
• Children benefit from sitting with their peers and staff at snack time. Staff model meaningful conversations that follow children's interests. This helps children to confidently engage in the commentary and experiment in sharing their thoughts and ideas. Children talk confidently about their family and experiences from home. Staff respond with interest and model responses. However, at times, gaps in planning limit children's vocabulary. For instance, staff do not always plan for the introduction of new words well. When children ask about different parts of the melon, staff do not always know.
• Staff help children to explore their feelings through imaginary play, such as through props that represent different emotions. They frequently select books to read with staff that develop their understanding further. Furthermore, staff guide children to use a cosy regulation space when they need to help them to understand how they are feeling and to regulate their bodies. This helps children feel secure.
• Children enjoy some activities that help them to understand some concepts relating to shape, space and measure. For example, children enjoy fitting pieces of puzzles together and often explore emptying and filling containers. However, staff do not routinely promote play experiences related to recognising number to expand their mathematical development further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan and implement activities more precisely to expand children's vocabulary
• help children to expand their mathematical knowledge further, including their understanding of numbers.