Windacre Pre-School Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff give children autonomy to take the lead in their learning. Children flourish in this homely environment. Staff provide a variety of learning experiences for children to explore their senses and learn different skills. Younger children giggle excitedly as they explore different materials with their hands. Older children take great pleasure in creating volcanic eruptions. They watch in awe as the materials react together to create 'lava' and flow down their volcanoes. Staff are completely attuned to the children and know them well. They instinctively know how and when to interact with them to further their learning. Staff instinctively extend learning through effective questioning to further challenge the most-able children.

Leaders and staff have exceptionally high expectations for children's behaviour. Routines and behaviour expectations are explicit, and the children clearly know what is expected of them. Staff gently encourage the children to develop independence skills and ownership. The areas are well resourced with open-ended learning opportunities for children to access independently. Children take responsibility for finding their own slippers and shoes when coming in or going outside, and help to put on their coats and wetsuits. Staff encourage them to help with brushing up, setting the table, and self-serving their own meals and snacks. Even those children with severe allergies or dietary requirements can self-serve with their own smaller dishes to serve from, to ensure that they can still feel included and involved.

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

• Leaders design and implement their own bespoke curriculum, which celebrates and builds on what children already know and can do. The curriculum is securely embedded by all staff across the setting. It supports children to make exceptional progress through their individual interests, needs, and learning styles, regardless of their starting points.
• Staff use their expert skills at promoting the development of the whole child. They do this through implementing a curriculum that focuses on the holistic development of each child. Staff are confident to support children's learning in a unique way, depending on the child and the circumstances. They provide challenging, innovative experiences for children. This engages children and keeps them constantly interested in what might be happening next. Leaders provide a sequenced series of events, experiences, and opportunities for children to practise and develop their skills in order for them to reach their full potential.
• Leaders take pride in ensuring that children are given the opportunity to do things that they have not done before, such as visit the library or take a bus ride. Staff take children to visit the local residential home to sing songs with the residents. Staff support children to actively engage with the local community.
• They visit parks and the local supermarket to look for signs of seasonal changes. This provides children with the opportunity to explore the local community and learn more about the world in which they live.
• Children are taught new, aspirational vocabulary. Leaders and staff are confident in introducing words that children may not have heard before, such as 'eruption' and 'chemical reaction', to describe their experiences. They are confident in further explaining vocabulary to give children a good explanation of what the words mean. This helps children to develop a secure bank of words and phrases to use for future reading, writing, and communication.
• Children's learning journey is shared regularly with parents. This is a two-way flow of information that celebrates the sharing of information from home as just as valuable as from the setting. This is evident from the planning and opportunities offered for children, which often incorporate evidence shared by parents and extended by the setting. This helps to build a coordinated approach to supporting children's learning.
• Leaders have an exceptionally clear vision and ethos, which they share with staff. It is well embedded across the setting, which shows in everything they do. Leaders have extremely high expectations for the staff. They provide unlimited access to training online or face to face, and will often do full team training so they can share or learn together for a cohesive approach. This, alongside their continuous strive for improvement, provides high-quality teaching and learning for all who attend.
• Leaders support staff well-being and encourage their professional development. Supervision arrangements and appraisals give staff regular opportunities to discuss their workload and work-life balance, in addition to their key children and any safeguarding issues. This is evident through the longevity of the staff employed at the setting and their commitment to quality provision for the children.