Wetley Rocks Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children clearly enjoy their time at this setting. For example, at collection time, they eagerly show and tell their parents and carers about their day, such as proudly sharing their hedgehog paintings. They excitedly point out new resources, such as the carpet, which staff have purposefully purchased to support children's listening and attention during group activities.

Staff build positive relationships with children from the outset. They understand the importance of emotional well-being. For instance, they gather detailed information from parents about each child, creating an environment that reflects individual interests. This helps children to settle quickly. Parents praise staff for this personalised approach, which helps their children to feel safe and secure.

Staff know children well and tailor their support to help them to make strong progress. For instance, they give children plenty of praise and assign small tasks to build on their confidence and independence. Leaders are committed to using additional funding, such as the early years pupil premium, to build on children's learning and experiences.

Children engage positively in their learning and show kindness and cooperation. For example, they work together to build a large tower. Staff support children's social skills by encouraging them to say 'goodbye' to each other at home time and to help their peers when needed. Parents speak positively about the recognition children receive for their achievements, noting that staff go 'above and beyond'.

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

• Routines are clearly established and well understood by all children. For example, children independently remove their wellington boots when coming indoors and collect their packed lunches before finding a seat at the table. Staff use a tambourine to signal when it is time to change activities. This helps to support those children who find changes in routine challenging.
• Staff plan activities based on children's interests and the topics they want them to learn. However, children currently have fewer opportunities to engage with resources that would deepen their understanding of technology, including the risks they may face when using the internet and where to seek support.
• The autumn theme weaves throughout the setting to reinforce children's learning. For example, children have opportunities to explore natural objects. They pretend to make conker soup and practise sorting and counting acorns. Staff introduce new vocabulary to support language growth, using words such as 'prickly' to describe a hedgehog's spikes. Children recall the sounds leaves make, describing them as 'crunching'.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive strong support. Staff actively involve parents and other professionals, make timely referrals and closely monitor children's progress. This ensures that each child's individual needs are met.
• Children demonstrate a love for stories and songs. For example, they independently choose books to explore and gather in groups to listen to stories. Books inspire their mark making and deepen their understanding of themes such as autumn. Children sing and sign familiar songs and enjoy learning new ones. This supports the development of their communication and language skills.
• Children engage confidently in a variety of physical play activities, both indoors and outdoors. They enjoy climbing on frames, riding balance bikes and participating in music and movement sessions. However, staff do not always fully recognise their role in challenging children's developing gross motor skills to help them to make even greater progress.
• Leaders and staff stay up to date with current legislative changes through ongoing training and research. Staff value regular opportunities to reflect on and evaluate their practice, considering what went well and identifying areas for improvement. This ongoing process helps build positive outcomes for children.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff send activities home to support learning and actively encourage parents' feedback through various channels, including questionnaires and group chats. As a result, parents highly recommend the setting and appreciate being kept informed about their children's progress.
• Staff actively engage with both previous settings that children have attended and the schools they will move on to. For example, they share good practice ideas with teachers and seek to understand what children need to learn to be 'school ready'. This helps staff to plan a curriculum that fully prepares children for the next phase of their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the curriculum to provide more opportunities for children to explore technology and understand how to stay safe when using the internet
• help children to build on their larger gross motor skills to ensure their physical development is continuously challenged.