Willow Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff support children to follow the daily routines they embed. This contributes to children feeling secure. For instance, when children arrive, staff show them where to place their belongings, wash their hands and find their written name as part of a registration process. Staff give children clear instructions, which they respond well to, such as when asking them to tidy away toys. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to listen and follow instructions in different ways, to meet their individual needs. This includes staff singing instructions to support children's understanding and the way they prefer to learn.

Staff plan activities to help children learn about events in the local community and people who can help them. For instance, staff show children images of a local fair that shows fairground attractions. This encourages children to remember and talk about the experiences they have with their parents and carers at home. Furthermore, staff arrange for firefighters to visit the pre-school, providing experiences for children to wear the uniform and learn about their role. Children show positive relationships with staff. They are keen to hold conversations with them, supporting their communication skills and social interactions. Children learn new words to help build on their vocabulary, such as 'burrowing' when staff talk to them about worms going into soil in the garden.

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

• The small staff team work well together. They receive support through staff meetings and appraisal sessions to reflect on their practice and identify professional development opportunities. Recent training helps staff to support children to regulate their emotions. For example, staff help children to name how they are feeling and to understand the reasons why they feel a certain way.
• Staff are good role models for children. They show children respect and listen to their views through positive interactions. Staff support children to understand how to show positive behaviour. This includes staff encouraging children to play cooperatively. For example, they support children to sit on opposite ends of a see-saw and work together to make it go up and down. Children learn how to share when staff ask them to wait their turn to ride on tricycles.
• Staff provide a curriculum that supports children's learning. This includes helping younger children to feel comfortable and secure with staff when they first start attending. As children develop and grow, staff want older children to develop their mathematical skills. This includes staff helping children to learn the names of shapes on equipment, such as steering wheels on toy ride-in cars. They encourage children to use their fingers to learn how to count.
• Staff offer children nutritious meals and drinks. They help children to learn about healthy foods. For example, staff sit with children to complete puzzles that show healthy foods. They hold discussions with them about different foods, such as chillies being hot and seeds that are in fruits. Children talk about vegetables they grow at home.
• Children listen to staff when they ask them to join together for large-group activities. However, during some of these times, staff do not plan and implement activities highly effectively to encourage all children to focus and engage. This results in some children being distracted and not benefiting fully from the learning offered.
• Staff share photos and written observations with parents to help them understand how their children are developing. Parents comment positively about their children's experiences in the pre-school. They say that staff provide comfort and support for children if they are upset, helping them to settle quickly.
• Staff meet with school teachers to share information about children's learning when children move on. However, partnership working with other early years settings that children also attend is not as effective. For instance, staff do not share or gather information about children's abilities to enable them to plan more precisely for their learning.
• Staff support children with SEND well. For instance, they complete training to help develop their knowledge of how to encourage children to communicate their needs. Staff work in partnership with other professionals to identify and implement targets to meet children's individual needs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop the planning and implementation of large-group times to encourage all children to focus and engage in the learning offered
• strengthen partnership working with all other early years settings that children also attend to help staff to gather a fuller picture of children's abilities.