Watnall Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children confidently leave their parents at the pre-school door. They show that they feel safe in the friendly and welcoming environment. Children are eager to start their day. They settle into familiar routines quickly and access the good range of activities provided by the staff. Children have warm and secure relationships with the staff. Staff engage in conversation with the children straight away. Children are emotionally secure.

The environment is calm. Children behave well due to staff's high expectations of them. Staff and children respect each other mutually. Children consider other people's feelings. For example, when one child wants to write their name with their favourite blue-tipped pencil, they ask if they can borrow it from their friend. They then offer their red-tipped pencil in return. Both children continue to play happily.

Managers of the pre-school have considered the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children's learning. They have a strong focus on supporting children's social skills and language development. Staff talk to the children as they engage in play with them. During a digging activity, staff clearly introduce new words such as 'wiggle' and 'jiggle' when children find worms. Children are curious and ask questions. When children find an unknown insect, they seek an adult to find out the correct name. Children rush back to the digging activity beaming and shout out, 'It's a beetle, it's a beetle.'

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

• Children explore the outside world. In the bug hunt area, children use magnifying lenses. They close one eye and hold the lens up to the other eye to examine objects closely. Children ask questions such as 'Where does it live?,' as they find a worm. Staff help to extend and broaden children's knowledge of living things. They explain to the children how important worms are for the garden and where they live in the soil.
• Children's behaviour is good. They know what is happening now and next in their day. This is due to the well-established daily routines that staff implement clearly and consistently. Staff promote children's self-confidence and well-being through praise and encouragement. Children receive positive comments from staff, such as 'Well done' and 'That's great'. As a result, children are content throughout the day.
• Children show a positive attitude to learning. During a number and shape activity, they use their fingers to show numbers up to five. Children enthusiastically count out and pick up natural items, such as pine cones and wooden pegs, using a pair of tweezers. Children help each other with counting skills. However, staff do not follow through the learning intent for the activity or correct children quickly enough when they miscount the objects they have collected. This means that sometimes children's mathematical development is not fully supported.
• Children are developing their large-muscle skills well and are learning to take calculated risks by themselves. For example, outside, children pedal past each other on their tricycles, being careful not to bump into one another or objects. Other children are keen to try and balance on the low-level obstacle course.
• The pre-school staff have effective working partnerships with parents and other professionals involved with the children. Staff regularly share and exchange information with parents about their children in a variety of ways. Parents spoken to on the day of inspection commented how happy they are with staff's interaction and communication with them.
• The manager and deputy manager are fairly new to their roles. That said, they do understand the importance of monitoring staff's workload, supporting their health and well-being and providing opportunities for staff training. However, not all staff are confident in their assessment of children's development and progress. Consequently, some children do not have precise targets to help them learn as much as they can.
• Staff share relevant and supportive information with parents to help them to provide their children with healthy contents for their lunch box. During lunchtime, children discuss their food items, saying 'Look what I have got. I have yoghurt and apple.' Lunchtime is a social occasion and staff engage in conversation with children about the benefits of healthy food.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to help them understand how to ensure the intent for children's learning is fulfilled
• improve staff's knowledge of how to assess children's development accurately and then plan the next steps in children's learning precisely so they learn as much as they can.