Whalley Pre School Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders provide an effective curriculum with the highest priority given to promoting children's personal, social and emotional development. All children, including those who have lower starting points than others, make exceptional progress in this area of learning. The environment is calm and children smile as they arrive, making a very confident start to their day. They benefit from a highly effective key-person system. As a result of the very strong bonds formed, children feel safe and staff have an expert understanding of their individual needs and personalities. This supports them to learn well.

Staff teach children to be independent right from the start. Children quickly learn to put on their coat and shoes and to manage their personal hygiene. Staff also promote children's social skills and behaviour exceptionally well. They specifically plan opportunities for children to participate in group activities, such as circle time. Children swiftly learn how to sit with others in a group and to focus. This supports their learning well. For example, children demonstrate good listening and they delight in activities which promote their early understanding of letter sounds. Children's highly independent behaviours and positive attitudes give them an excellent foundation to support other aspects of their learning.

There are strong arrangements in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. Staff consider children's differing backgrounds and experiences when planning and delivering the curriculum. Barriers and gaps in children's learning are identified early and all children receive targeted support when needed. This supports all children to make good overall progress.

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

• Children behave exceptionally well. Staff's highly successful implementation of behaviour management strategies is invaluable in providing targeted support that helps children to gain control of their feelings and deal with frustrations. Children relish the high praise from staff, which helps them to know when they have done well. Children act very responsibly, listen attentively and follow instructions. These behaviours prepare them exceptionally well for school.
• The manager plans the curriculum well. She knows that when children first start, they need most help with their personal and social skills. Children are offered experiences which contribute to their learning of essential skills. These experiences are carefully sequenced so that children can gain knowledge and embed their learning. Staff show that they understand what children need to learn and what they can do to help them.
• Staff place a strong emphasis on helping children to develop a wide vocabulary.
• During an activity making dough pizzas, staff use language to describe the size and shape of the toppings. Children then recall words, such as 'slice' and 'roll', when they describe what they are doing. Children love to learn new words and to use them. Their speaking and listening skills are developing well.
• Staff offer a range of opportunities and challenge children to be active and to develop their physical skills. They support children to strengthen the small muscles in their hands. For example, they help children to learn how to grip different writing tools. Children delight in using crayons and pens to draw a rainbow. They are developing the skills needed for later writing.
• Passionate leaders and staff are committed to moving the setting forward and to meeting the needs of children and families who attend. Leaders measure the impact that teaching has on learning, including for children who receive funding. This helps them to identify further areas for improvement, including staff training needs. Training on communication and language is beginning to have a positive effect on how staff interact with children. However, during conversations, staff do not ask children skilful questions. They do not consistently help children to think hard to process information and deepen their understanding.
• Leaders ensure that staff's well-being is prioritised. Staff comment that they 'have never worked anywhere better'. This helps to ensure that the environment is a happy, positive and friendly place for children to learn.
• Parents say that relationships with staff are extremely strong. Tailored support has been particularly successful in helping parents to develop strategies to manage children's behaviour. Parents benefit from regular coffee mornings, where they socialise with other parents and gain advice and guidance. This helps them to better support children's learning at home.
• Assessment arrangements are good. Staff value parents' knowledge of their children and use it successfully to plan each day. They send regular reports to parents and share information about children's learning and progress. Leaders invite parents to have an active role in the organisation of the setting's curriculum. This helps staff to provide activities that are responsive to children's learning needs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to focus on helping children think hard in conversations so they can extend and deepen their understanding.