West Street Pre-school

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children bound into the pre-school full of excitement for the day ahead. They are familiar with the routine, which supports them to feel safe and secure. Children quickly focus on an activity of their choice. They concentrate and engage well in their play. Children who arrive upset receive comfort from caring and attentive staff, and soon settle. Children mark their attendance through a self-registration system. Younger children find their names with help from staff. Older children create their signatures on large pieces of paper. All children are eager to learn.

Children behave exceptionally well. Staff reinforce the pre-school rules before each group activity. Children have a good sense of responsibility. A child finds a cup on the floor which has been mistakenly left in the wrong place. He picks it up with surprise and says, 'Oh, how did that get there?'. He then swiftly returns the cup to its correct home. Children interact with their friends in a sociable and considerate way. As they gather around the water tray, they make space for new children to join in. Children share the watering cans between them so that everyone has one.

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

• Staff use strategies to develop children's communication and language. There is language lead who has completed a variety of training courses in this area. This member of staff shares her knowledge with the rest of the team. All staff use the same strategies so that the support given is consistent. For example, staff extend children's vocabulary by adding new words into sentences as they repeat back what children have said. Children respond by copying the new words.
• Staff provide resources that are meaningful and relevant for children. For example, they provide dolls in the role play area because they know that some children are going to have new baby siblings. Staff use these dolls to prepare children for their new family arrival. They show children how to hold a baby in a safe way. This helps children to become ready for changes in their lives.
• Staff have considered the need for extra cleanliness because of the pandemic. Every morning, staff and children make fresh dough to model with. Children are familiar with this activity. They confidently follow instructions given by staff to make the dough. When finished, children roll the dough and cut shapes in it using cutters. However, staff do not consistently support children to test their knowledge. For example, when a child asks for a star shape cutter, staff give this to them, rather than supporting them to find it for themselves.
• Staff offer challenge to help children progress in their development. Staff motivate children to succeed through nurturing relationships. However, sometimes, staff do not consider the stages of children's development. For example, staff encourage some children to hold a pencil and write their names before they are ready to do so. Furthermore, some staff do not always understand the ways children learn. For example, some staff discourage children from mixing sand and water together when they are making 'muddy puddles'.
• The manager is extremely knowledgeable about the community where children live. She knows that some children do not have their own garden to play in. Because of this, staff take children to the local park where they can develop their physical skills. Additionally, children are taken for walks along the river, where they learn about the world around them.
• The manager uses funding in ways which help children get ready for school. For example, she buys educational board games for children to play at the pre-school. She also buys the same game for them to take home. This means children can continue their learning when they are not at the pre-school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• maximise opportunities for children to practise using the knowledge that they have
• deepen staff's understanding around providing a sequenced curriculum that builds on what children already know and can do
• further develop staff's understanding about how children learn through exploration and investigation.