Woodlands Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are keen to learn. They enthusiastically engage in the interesting learning experiences and activities. They form strong relationships with their key person and other staff, who all know the children very well. This helps all staff support children's care and learning. Children confidently learn to do things for themselves. They generally behave well and staff mostly provide consistent guidance. Staff skilfully weave teaching into their interactions with children to promote their learning. For instance, staff developed children's mathematical understanding at snack time. Children cut up fruit into 'halves', counted spoonfuls of oats, and set the microwave time to cook their porridge. Outside, children filled plastic syringes with water and estimated how far and high the water would travel when squirted. This continued the development of their mathematical understanding and small physical skills.

Staff plan an ambitious curriculum which takes very good account of what children already know and can do. There is a strong focus on closing gaps in children's development, such as language skills. Staff provide focused language activities alongside exceptionally well-thought-out resources to support children's learning. For instance, children choose books in all areas where they play, including outdoors. They enjoy using two-way radios, which encourages children to use their developing communication and language skills. As a result, gaps in children's learning quickly start to close and they make good or better progress from their starting points.

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

• Children who need extra help in their development receive support from knowledgeable and skilful staff. The pre-school special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has a confident understanding of her role. Regular assessments are completed, including progress checks for two-year-old children. When appropriate, the SENCo puts in place individual educational plans to meet children's needs successfully. She understands the processes for education health care plans and the importance of making prompt referrals to outside professionals when needed.
• Staff value the uniqueness of children and families. For example, they display photographs and provide words and books in other languages that children see and hear at home. Children develop their confidence effectively. They feel safe and confident to express their thoughts and views, such as during group discussions. Children benefit from positive praise and encouragement which strongly promotes their self-esteem and confidence.
• Children develop their independence very well, including managing their personal care and gaining skills in dressing. They gain a sense of responsibility and learn to take care of their belongings, such as putting away their lunch boxes on arrival and after eating. Overall, staff guide children's awareness of behaviour well. At times, they are not always consistent in promoting the expectations, such as to walk indoors, to help embed children's understanding of what is expected.
• Staff provide effective teaching to children. They ask questions that help children to recall their prior knowledge and understanding. The focused small-group language activities are successful in promoting children's communication and language development, such as building their vocabulary and sentence structure.
• Staff engage positively with children to help them explore and experiment. For example, staff support children to identify the tools that were most successful to cut up fruit and vegetables in the role play area. Staff encourage children to observe and to describe the changes to these once cut. This contributes to children building on their skills and knowledge for the future.
• The manager has a good understanding of her role. The staff team work effectively together which promotes a consistent approach to children's care and learning. Staff benefit from team and individual meetings and complete regular training. This helps staff to extend their knowledge and skills. There are some good strategies to evaluate the quality of the provision and practice. On occasion, leaders do not always identify some areas to improve further, such as small gaps in record keeping and staff's understanding.
• Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to promote continuity in meeting children's needs. Staff work closely with parents to support children to settle in and understand their development on entry. Parents receive regular updates about their children's progress and ideas to support learning at home. Parents feedback about the pre-school and staff is very positive. They comment that the staff are 'welcoming' and 'lovely'. They highlight the progress their children have made since starting, such as in their language and social skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff's awareness of consistently promoting children's understanding of the behaviour expectations
• build on leaders' oversight of the pre-school to maintain and enhance the quality of provision and practice further.