Wooldale Pre School Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children come into this setting happily and confidently. They are welcomed by friendly and enthusiastic staff who greet every child. Children access resources independently on arrival before enjoying group time. Staff talk to children about their interests and children respond confidently. Staff form close and caring relationships with all children. Children readily approach staff for support, when needed, and confidently discuss their feelings.

Staff have high expectations for all children and children respond to these. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the manager has identified that some children needed support with some aspects of their behaviour, such as turn-taking and sharing. As a result of this, staff model sharing and turn-taking with children, supporting children where necessary. Staff are effective role models, which helps children to behave well. Staff offer children a choice of activity and plan around children's interests. For example, when children request a baking activity, staff plan this for the following day.

Staff plan an environment and activities that engage children. Children access resources independently and enthusiastically. They ask for other resources if these are not readily available. Staff act on children's requests, which helps to develop children's confidence and independence skills. Children describe what they are making in the creative area, while demonstrating effective scissor skills. Other children access mark making outside, using an effective grip to form recognisable shapes. Staff follow children's lead, taking part effectively in play that children lead.

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

• Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the manager recognises how children's needs have changed. She has developed the curriculum around children's needs effectively. This helps all children to make good progress and supports them to leave the setting well prepared for school.
• Staff engage with children, playing alongside them and developing their learning. They skilfully narrate what they are doing and sensitively model appropriate vocabulary and grammar for children. Staff repeat back to children what they say. They introduce new vocabulary. For example, during a baking activity, staff introduce the words 'ingredients' and 'recipe'. In the outdoor provision, staff play alongside children pretending to fix a house, naming the tools as children use them.
• Staff know children very well. Key persons identify children's next steps in learning, and all staff act on these. For example, all staff work on developing younger children's length of sentences and combining words to form simple sentences.
• Staff consider younger children's learning during group times. Staff take older children in a group to access resources to develop their skills at a more advanced level. This also gives younger children more time to develop skills at their own level and staff can work on these more intensively.
• Children are happy and confident learners. Staff support children in their learning throughout the curriculum. For example, they encourage children to be independent in the painting area and peg up their own painting. In the role-play area, staff encourage children to put their own costumes on. They support children by showing them where to hold the costume to pull over their head rather than doing it for them.
• Parents speak very highly about this setting. They talk about how staff share information about their children's learning and support children's learning at home through newsletters and sharing information. Parents are happy with the progress that their children make. They acknowledge that staff have supported their children around skills such as developing confidence, toilet training and recognising their own name. Staff provide information for parents on a number of issues, such as returning to work. The manager has plans to develop this further and support parents in making healthy packed lunches for their children.
• Staff access training that is relevant to children's learning. For example, staff are currently accessing training on developing vocabulary, questioning skills and storytelling. However, the manager does not consistently support staff who work with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) on a one- to-one basis to extend their knowledge of how to use additional strategies and interventions to further support children in the good progress that they make.
• Staff use a range of teaching methods to support children's learning. However, on occasion, during activities, staff do not use opportunities to check children's mathematical knowledge or correct their misconceptions.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend staff's knowledge of how to support children with SEND to enable them to provide additional interventions and strategies to extend children's learning further
• support staff to use opportunities to check and develop children's mathematical knowledge during activities.