Whimple Preschool Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The pre-school provides a warm and nurturing environment. The staff know the children and their families well, ensuring children's emotional development needs are met. Parents appreciate the care their children receive alongside the regular communication, commenting 'they are always available'. The children demonstrate their independence through daily routines and carefully planned meaningful opportunities. Staff welcome children at the door and encourage them to independently put away their coat and self-register before choosing from the activities available inside the setting.

The curriculum intent is clear with a strong focus on building and developing language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development, which ensures children are ready to transition to school. Staff set out a range of resources that reflect children's current interests and support different ways of learning. For example, diggers were provided with a sensory material to enable children to scoop and gather, which also offered sensory input for those who benefit from this type of play.

The staff engage with the children at all times, modelling speech and language, while building upon and extending children's knowledge and vocabulary. All children enjoy spending time outside each day. Staff provide resources that reflect children's interests and skilfully extend their learning, for example using measuring tapes to measure how far cars travel down a ramp. Staff meet fortnightly to discuss the needs of all the children and plan how to meet next steps, including targeted activities to support children who need it.

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

• Leaders and staff are passionate about providing the best care for the children. This ensures their emotional well-being is of a high priority and the staff build strong relationships with the children and their families. This supports children to settle well and develop confidence.
• Parents speak highly about the communication provided by the pre-school. Staff regularly update the online learning journal and engage with parents at drop off and pick up times, as well as during meetings to share children's next steps. They regularly invite families into the pre-school for special events, such as sports day.
• Key persons know their children well and share this information with the rest of the staff. This means that all staff are aware of every child's needs, ensuring they make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff engage the children in all activities on offer in both the inside and outside environments. For example, playing target games where the children throw or kick balls at a number target to win points. The space available is used well. The pre-school has a quiet time, where children can relax by listening to music or sharing a book, but provision of a quieter indoor space for children needing a calming area when overwhelmed by noise is currently limited.
• Children show high interest in the activities available. Play is purposeful and meaningful and they are independent in their learning. Sharing and taking turns is encouraged through playing games and modelling. Children have a love of stories and can be seen enjoying books, both inside and in the outside environment. However, during transition times, such as tidy up, children often become excitable and lose focus, resulting in a noisy and unsettled environment.
• Staff and leaders have a good knowledge of routes of referral to support the early identification of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The pre-school communicates with parents when they have causes for concern and signpost parents for additional support when needed. The pre-school works well with outside agencies, for example the speech and language therapist, to provide targeted support and, as a result, children with SEND make good progress.
• The manager supports the professional development of staff by offering available courses, ensuring their practice is up to date. Staff share new learning and initiatives during meetings and discuss how to implement them in the pre-school setting.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff communication during transitions so that expectations are clear and the environment remains calm and supportive
• create opportunities for children to access a quieter space when they need time away from the busy environment.