Wincheap Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and have strong bonds with the staff. The atmosphere is calm and relaxed, allowing children to freely and confidently explore their surroundings. This environment allows children to feel comfortable and settle quickly. Staff provide children with cuddles, reassurance and encouragement regularly, supporting their emotional well-being.

Children play harmoniously alongside one another. They enjoy taking part in positive experiences and social interactions as they join in with group games, such as bat and ball games in the garden. Staff act as good role models as they engage in positive play with children, giving them praise and encouragement as they achieve small steps, such as walking along the balance beam independently. This supports children to develop their self-esteem and confidence.

Children are well supported to develop their listening skills. Managers and staff are very aware of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's development and are working hard to help children improve these skills. They play games and have focused activities to extend their listening and attention. For example, children have fun making sounds with pots and pans and stop as staff show the stop sign. This helps them to develop their concentration.

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

• Staff know the children very well. They talk confidently about the seven areas of learning and how they individually support children to make progress in their development. The setting offers children a variety of opportunities to engage in play through a balance of adult-led and child-led activities. This encourages children to become independent learners and develop positive attitudes towards their learning.
• For most of the time, staff engage in high-quality, positive interactions with children. They encourage them to make their own choices regularly throughout the day. For example, children say no to snack as they are engrossed in play, and staff respect this. This helps children to develop their sense of self. However, at times, staff are not always positioned effectively within the environment to ensure all children engage in positive learning. Therefore, learning opportunities are not consistently maximised.
• The managers and staff place high importance on children developing their independence in preparation for school. Staff ask children questions to find out what they already know and to help embed their knowledge. However, at times, staff do not always allow children sufficient time to think about and respond to their questions. Therefore, this limits children from being able to consolidate their learning.
• Staff teach children about differences around the world. They focus on events, such as the World Cup, to develop children's awareness of different countries. For example, children create a Spanish flag and try a Spanish pudding at snack time. This creates opportunities for children to learn about the wider world we live in.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to be physically active. Children enjoy the freedom of exploring and playing in the outdoor space. For example, they engage in bat and balls games, build an obstacle course and play games, such as 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. These opportunities allow children to develop their physical strength, balance and coordination.
• Staff provide a high level of support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, they have implemented a visual time table and a 'Now and Next' board to support children with transitions. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with staff and external agencies, using the referral process effectively to seek appropriate support. This reflects the staff's dedication in supporting all children, ensuring they receive the help they need to make progress in their learning and development.
• Partnerships with parents are very good. Parents speak very highly of the staff team and the level of support they receive. They enjoy receiving information about children's learning and activities using an online system. Staff also use this system to engage parents in home learning. This further supports children to make progress.
• The deputy manager is very knowledgeable and is passionate about her role. She can recognise where practice needs improving and works very closely with her staff team. She uses training effectively to enhance staff performance. As a result, staff feel well supported and morale is high. This creates a positive atmosphere for staff and children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop questioning techniques to ensure children have sufficient time to think about and respond to questions asked
• consider staff deployment to best support children's learning at all times.