Wheelock Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children, particularly children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), progress well at this pre-school. Staff provide an inclusive environment that nurtures children's interests. As a result, children eagerly enter the pre-school with big smiles and are ready to play. Staff form strong bonds with children through their positive interactions with them. Children show they feel safe. Staff prioritise supporting children's personal, social and emotional development. For example, staff work closely with parents to ensure children feel secure in the pre-school. In addition, on the rare occasion when children are feeling sad, they offer cuddles for reassurance. This supports children's emotional well-being.

Staff set high expectations for children. They role model good manners and gently talk to children about the rules of the pre-school. Children are beginning to understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, staff support children to manage their own safety. They guide children on how to hold scissors carefully and remind them to walk indoors so they do not hurt themselves. Children's behaviour is exemplary. They are kind and respectful towards others and their environment.

Staff support children's communication and language development well. They engage children in back-and-forth conversations and use age-appropriate questions to extend children's thinking. These quality interactions help children to understand how to structure a conversation. In addition, as children explore different materials, staff use descriptive vocabulary such as 'squish', 'spiral' and 'soft'. This helps to widen children's vocabulary. Children make good progress in their early language development.

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

• Staff understand what they intend for children to learn. They are clear on their own key children's next steps in learning and build on these during play. However, when children are not in their key group, staff are less sure about their specific next steps in learning. This limits the staff's ability to address these next steps within general play and learning.
• Staff feel well supported in their roles. Procedures are in place for staff supervision, and staff have attended mandatory training. However, the professional development of staff does not always focus sharply enough on supporting them to attend relevant training to enhance their skills even further. Consequently, there are some inconsistencies in how staff support children's learning across the pre-school.
• Staff prioritise teaching children about healthy lifestyles in their curriculum. Snack times are used as social times to develop children's understanding of healthy eating. For example, staff talk to children about which foods are good for their bones. Children recognise which foods and drinks are good or bad for their bodies. They understand what contributes to their own good health.
• Children with SEND are supported well. Staff work with parents and external professionals to meet children's needs, and they implement tailored strategies to support children's next steps in learning. Furthermore, additional funding is used well to benefit the individual child. As a result, gaps in learning close quickly and children make good progress.
• Support for children's physical development is a strength of this pre-school. Children are developing good physical skills. For example, they practise balancing along the stepping stones. They show controlled hand-eye coordination as they pour water into their cup. Children demonstrate good coordination skills and core strength.
• Staff work harmoniously with parents. Parents are happy with the quality of care provided. They receive regular updates on their child's development. Staff offer advice to parents on topics such as healthy eating and supporting children's communication and language. These strong partnerships and shared ideas help to maintain continuity in children's learning.
• The curriculum for mathematics provides children with ample opportunities to develop their number, counting and problem-solving skills. For example, children practise counting how many children are at the table. Staff further support children to understand the properties of shapes and together they count how many lines a triangle has. Children show a very good understanding of numbers and are developing an understanding of early mathematical concepts well.
• Staff are positive role models to children. They offer an abundance of praise to children throughout the day. Staff engage in positive interactions with children to model and explain how to achieve new goals. Children develop good resilience skills, self-confidence and demonstrate a 'can-do' attitude towards their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to identify next steps in learning for all children and incorporate these into learning experiences to help to build consistently on children's existing skills
• focus staff's professional development more sharply on enhancing their skills to support all children's learning in play.