Woodland Corner

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children and their parents are greeted at the gate by smiling staff who take time to speak to each child. They confidently enter the pre-school together to begin their day of learning. Children chat at ease with the staff and tell them about things that have happened at home. They talk about things they have missed doing at the pre-school when they have been absent for a period of time, such as riding their favourite toy motor bikes. Children quickly become engrossed in their chosen play and seek out their friends to share their experiences with. They have fun making grass and mud 'soup' in the well-equipped and exciting mud kitchen. Staff model how to cut grass from the garden with scissors to make their pretend soup taste even more delicious. Children freely access water in the garden to enhance their mud play.

Children are very well behaved and clearly understand the pre-school rules. They are kind and caring towards each other. Staff support all children to develop good social skills to enable them to form friendships and to be confident in groups. Children develop a very good understanding of safety. Staff teach them how to use real tools when they participate in forest school activities. For example, they whittle the bark from sticks with a sharp knife. They confidently tell staff that they know that the shiny blade is sharp and learn how to sit correctly in the safest position.

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

• Staff supported children and their families well when they were unable to attend the pre-school due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. They took creative resources to children's homes, read stories online and kept in touch with parents. Since returning to the pre-school, staff have helped children to strengthen their independence skills. They have facilitated small-group play to help children to rebuild friendships with each other.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Additional staff work with children who require support to fully participate in pre-school activities. Parents are helped to seek appropriate interventions and support from other agencies, to close any gaps in their children's development.
• Parents speak highly of the manager and staff. They comment on how well their children are progressing and how they have been supported by staff. A number of parents are members of the pre-school committee and help to publicise the pre-school and raise funds for specific resources.
• Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents took their children into the foyer of the pre-school building, where they placed their coats and belongings. As this space is not being used for this purpose now, staff have transformed it into a quiet sensory/well-being room. Blackout blinds, coloured lights and calming music help children to feel relaxed. Staff use the room in a number of ways, such as for yoga or for small groups of children to do focused activities. It provides a safe space for individual children to use when they are feeling overexcited or anxious.
• Children are articulate speakers. They express their thoughts confidently. Staff ask clear questions and engage in purposeful discussions, to encourage the children to think deeper. Children listen carefully to stories and join in with their favourite parts.
• Children enjoy using numbers, counting and estimating in their general play as well as through focused activities. For example, during snack time, they compare the size of strawberries and note if their fruit is bigger or smaller than those of the staff member. Staff remind them that two halves make a whole.
• Children are fiercely independent and are provided with good opportunities to develop these skills further. For example, they cut their own fruit at snack time, pour their own drinks and carefully place their used plates in a bowl for washing up.
• Staff facilitate children's play and fetch new resources, such a long cardboard tubes, to extend their learning. Children roll cars down from a high point at the top of the steps and slide structure. However, staff do not always remain at the activity to fully enhance the children's experiences. Therefore, there are missed opportunities for them to extend children's learning further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's knowledge of how to extend children's learning further, such as when introducing new resources or ideas.