West Town Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy at the setting and quickly settle into an activity of their choosing. Staff know children well. They plan clear and meaningful next steps for children to work towards and this supports their good progress in all areas of learning. The curriculum is well sequenced throughout the setting. Children benefit from strong relationships and a well-embedded key-person system to help them feel safe and secure in their surroundings.

Children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and enjoy exploring the learning environment freely and safely. Staff promote opportunities for children to carry out tasks for themselves. Children demonstrate their fantastic independence during mealtimes as they open packets in their lunch boxes and use cutlery well. Additionally, children use good table manners and enjoy engaging in social conversations around the table. During play, children demonstrate kindness and strong friendships as they invite their peers to join their play in small groups.

Staff are good role models for children. They encourage children to join in group singing and reading times to promote speech and language development. Children who speak English as an additional language are well supported and develop a good understanding of spoken English quickly. Staff model clear words for children to hear and they quickly learn to speak and communicate in English, in preparation for school.

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

• The management team has implemented a curriculum that is tailored to meet the needs of the children attending the setting. For example, staff consider the experiences children gain at home and expand and strengthen this even further. Children benefit from various outings in the local community and visitors to the setting that provide vital learning opportunities to help children learn about the community they live in and the world around them.
• Staff focus their teaching on the three prime areas of learning and this helps children build a solid foundation of knowledge and skills prior to starting school. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. Staff work with a range of professionals to support children and families within the setting. They work hard to provide children with the support they need to help them make good progress.
• Children play together in small groups and demonstrate good teamwork and social interactions. However, when there is a disagreement, staff are not always confident and consistent with behaviour management techniques. This can impact on children's understanding of what is right and wrong.
• Children's physical development is well supported throughout the setting. They are provided with a range of opportunities to climb, run, build and balance. Staff plan learning opportunities based on what children need to learn next, demonstrating their good understanding of children's abilities and development.
• Staff have worked hard to strengthen partnership working with parents. They provide many opportunities for parents to visit the setting for stay-and-play sessions and staff use this opportunity to share what children are learning. Communication is strong and staff share regular updates with parents about children's progress. Additionally, staff share resources with families to support home learning opportunities.
• Children learn about a range of cultures and religious events through reading and conversations. Furthermore, staff provide opportunities for children to experience food and events from around the world. They join together to celebrate and learn about a range of festivals that are relevant to the children and staff at the setting.
• The management team is proactive, reflects on the practice within the setting and have a clear action plan, highlighting areas of the provision they are working to improve. For example, they have identified that the curriculum for mathematics needs improvement and have already accessed training and begun to implement changes, to strengthen staff's teaching. The benefits of this are demonstrated by children as they share their knowledge of numbers and explore shape and measure through play. Overall, staff receive good opportunities to build on their knowledge and skills. However, these are not precisely targeted to ensure children's learning is even more effectively extended at every opportunity.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop their confidence and behaviour management techniques to ensure children receive consistent and clear boundaries
• strengthen staff's teaching skills to the highest standard so that children's learning is even more effectively extended at every opportunity.