Walney Central Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are greeted warmly by friendly and caring staff as they arrive for their sessions. They leave their parents happily and quickly settle to the good range of activities provided. They play well with each other and share resources. Children's behaviour is good, and they follow rules and routines well. Children demonstrate that they feel safe because they are exceptionally confident in social situations. For example, babies smile and wave when visitors enter the room, while older children talk to visitors about what they are making in the mud kitchen.

Staff have high expectations for children's learning and development and support individual needs well. For example, after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns they noted that children's emotional development was a weaker area. As a result, staff continue to offer additional support to develop these skills by providing small-group work and focused activities. Children develop good manners and behaviour. For instance, they say 'please' and 'thank you' without prompting from staff. Children benefit from lots of opportunities to make their own choices and develop their independence. For example they put away their own belongings as they arrive at the pre-school, and scrape their own plates at lunchtime.

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

• Children's literacy skills are consistently promoted. Babies are encouraged to repeat some keywords and join in with the actions when staff sing 'Incy wincy spider.' Older children love having stories read to them. They confidently recall key phrases that they remember from the book 'Room on the Broom', which is a story about a witch. This helps to encourage children's love of books and stories.
• Staff use many good explanations and demonstrations to help children master new skills. For example, they show children how to put on their own coats by wearing the hood first before putting their arms in the sleeves. They also teach children to hold knives correctly and then use a 'sawing' motion to cut up their meatballs at lunchtime. This supports children's growing independence.
• Children are supported to progressively build on their physical skills. For example, babies build their confidence when practising crawling and walking. Children develop their muscle control as they thread pipe cleaners through the holes on a colander, or learn to hop, jump and climb when they build their own obstacle courses. This helps children to develop their physical strength.
• Staff work closely with parents and external agencies to ensure they meet the needs of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The on-site special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) liaises closely with the staff to ensure that children can take part in all aspects of the learning environment. As a result, children, especially those with SEND, make very good progress.
• Staff supervise children well. They seamlessly move around the play areas, ensuring the correct number of adults are available to help children learn and stay safe. However, some staff do not always take opportunities to remind children of how to keep themselves safe, for example when carrying scissors, or correct children when they sit on a chair in an unsafe manner. This does not support children's developing awareness of how to manage their own safety effectively.
• Children follow some established hygiene routines, such as washing their hands after using the toilet. However, staff do not always help young children to independently take care of their own hygiene, such as wiping their noses. This does not build strong foundations for children to learn to manage their own personal needs and develop self-care skills.
• Children benefit from plenty of fresh air and exercise and nutritious, freshly cooked meals. Leaders have systems in place to ensure children's allergies and dietary requirements are catered for. This helps children to build on their understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles.
• Partnership with parents is strong. Parents say 'the aunties' keep them well informed about their child's progress and offer valuable guidance to support continued learning at home. Parents comment that the children's progress reports are 'a joy to read.' Staff seek support, where necessary, for the whole family. For example, some parents have benefitted from attending training on how to support children's sleep routines.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• make the most of all opportunities to develop children's awareness of managing their own safety
• develop a more consistent approach to teaching children about the importance of good hygiene practises and how to manage their own personal care needs to further enhance their self-care skills.