Westover Little Stars Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The curriculum is broad and ambitious, with all areas of learning and development considered in the planned and flexible activities. There is a strong emphasis on communication and language development. Staff have high expectations and nurture the children very well towards excellent outcomes. All children make good progress, particularly those who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. All children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

Children behave very well and conform to the routines that structure the day and contribute to keeping them safe. For example, they sing a road safety song when they go to the garden. They use their imaginations here as they find a worm in the playhouse, pretending it is a snake. They fill and empty buckets of sand and talk about how wet sand is different to dry sand. They say 'I can't make a pie with dry sand, it doesn't work'. They make wonderful expansive marks with large brushes and water. They experiment with wet chalk and dry chalk to see the differences as they draw on the wall-mounted chalk boards.

Staff know the children very well and they share close bonds with them. Children seek support from staff when they need help with an activity or when they feel frustrated or emotionally overwhelmed. Staff are extremely sensitive and respectful to children's needs, and this helps children to feel safe and secure.

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

• Staff use every opportunity to engage children in learning new knowledge and skills. They know the value of practice. For example, children walk along a large tree trunk and jump off the end. Children learn to balance as they carefully negotiate the uneven surface. Staff offer support to those who are less confident and gently encourage them to build up the confidence to have a go themselves. The children excitedly do this over and over, and show enormous pride when they are successful.
• Staff use opportunities to extend learning. For example, they introduce problem-solving at snack time by asking children to find out how many pieces of orange are needed. They show children how to shake bells in different ways to make loud or quiet sounds. When children talk about seahorses while using the play dough, staff find pictures of colourful seahorses on an electronic device. This inspires a drawing activity. However, sometimes, staff do not notice and intervene quickly enough when children interrupt others who are deeply engaged in an activity. This means that some children become frustrated and lose focus when their thinking and flow of ideas are unnecessarily disturbed.
• Children benefit from a range of visits and visitors. They go to the library and visit the café. They go on woodland walks and learn about seasonal changes. They have exciting outings on the bus to go to the theatre. They speak to police officers and learn about fingerprints. They celebrate cultural festivals and know that children can speak different languages. These rich experiences help them to understand more about their local and wider community.
• There are good partnerships with parents. Parents report that the staff are highly supportive of families and go above and beyond to do their best for the children in their care. Parents say that communication is regular, and they know what their children learn and the progress they make.
• Managers use additional funding effectively to support children from disadvantaged families, such as by providing story sacks to promote language development. Staff have plenty of opportunities for professional development through access to an online training platform. The staff work very well as a highly communicative team and, together with the committee, strive to continue to provide high-quality practice to support children and their families.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to monitor activities more closely to check that children have the opportunities to fully explore their thinking and ideas without being interrupted.