Wood Green Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and comfortable in the nursery. They move freely between outdoors and inside and choose how they want to play. Children are keen to learn and they concentrate well with activities that interest them. They enjoy exploring outdoors as they experiment and use their imaginations. Children are focused as they share the planting resources. They are excited to talk together about the worm they have found as they watch it moving around in the mud. Children play together well and friendships are flourishing.

Children look forward to daily opportunities to join in with songs and story time. Staff provide a good selection of reading material and children enjoy choosing books, which they often look at independently. Children's confidence grows, and they eagerly copy new words. They listen and show their understanding as they follow the staff's instructions. Children sit and concentrate well for regular small-group sessions. During this time, staff introduce new words linked to activities. This helps to support children's communication and language skills. Children confidently sing and show great pride as they follow the instructions, clapping and smiling when they have finished.

The manager and staff have high expectations for all children. Staff provide children with lots of praise and encouragement. Children respond well to the kind and caring staff. They understand simple rules as they learn how to share, be kind and play cooperatively with one another. Children anticipate what they will be doing next, which shows that they are familiar and secure with the routines.

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

• Children's backgrounds and cultures are valued and those who speak English as an additional language are well supported. The curriculum for promoting children's language skills is consistently implemented by staff. Staff model single words and encourage children to repeat them so they retain and develop their language skills.
• Staff are positive role models for children. They treat each other and the children with respect. Staff give children encouragement and praise for their achievements. They talk about things that are special to children. This helps to promote children's confidence and sense of self-worth.
• The manager has a clear vision for what children need to learn. Most aspects of the curriculum are promoted well, and staff make sure that children have the knowledge and skills they need before moving on to new learning. Staff make regular observations and assessments of children's learning to ensure they make good progress. However, they do not always ensure planning for children's next steps in learning is sharply focused, to help them achieve at the highest level.
• Children enjoy being physically active, and delight in climbing, jumping and running in a circuit with staff outside. They use chalks and paint to make marks on the boards. Children are totally engrossed in construction when building a boat with figures and shapes. They talk about the boat they have made and the shapes they have used. Staff value children's work, and children are proud of their achievements. Staff carefully place children's creations on display.
• The deputy manager with responsibility as special educational needs coordinator communicates well with the manager to follow up with targeted support for children without delay. Staff aim to provide one-to-one support for children and know them well. Staff mostly ensure that activities are adapted to enable all children to take part fully. However, at times during outdoor play, some quieter children are on the outskirts of the play with little interaction.
• Mealtimes are social occasions. Staff talk to children about their packed lunches and the foods they eat, and help them to learn about making healthy choices. Children enjoy developing their independence skills. Staff teach them how to wash their hands carefully at intervals throughout the session.
• Parents say that they really appreciate the flexibility of the manager and staff. They say that they can speak to all staff about their children and that their children are very happy to attend. However, not all parents are fully aware of some key aspects. This includes sharing of information at the point of settling in and for ongoing information sharing with their child's key person. Parents comment that they are looking forward to being invited back inside the nursery to be able to observe their children in the setting.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on the interactions staff have with children during large-group activities, particularly during outdoor play
• refine the planning of children's learning to help incorporate their next steps for learning more consistently into their play
• continue to improve the existing good systems for communication, to further enhance effective information sharing with all parents.