Wootton Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are excited to arrive at this pre-school and are greeted with a warm and friendly welcome. Staff help children to develop their independence as they change into their indoor shoes and hang up their bags and coats. For those children who are hesitant, staff provide gentle reassurance, helping them to feel safe and secure in the environment. Children are eager to explore and quickly settle at activities of their choosing. As staff join in children's play, they engage children in conversation, model language and use open ended questions. This inspires children's thinking and responses.

Staff help children to enhance their physical skills. Children strengthen their small muscles as they complete puzzles and build with bricks. Outdoor activities, such as running, jumping and riding bikes, allow children to exercise their large muscles. Children show they enjoy movement and music sessions that staff offer, as they freely move to the music. They are confident in their abilities, copying adult's actions and joining in singing nursery rhymes.

Staff seamlessly introduce mathematics into children's play. As children count objects on cards, staff encourage them to count to the next number. They pause, waiting for a response, providing children with the opportunity to think and reply. Children use mathematical language and use their fingers to correctly identify quantity.

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

• Staff set clear and consistent expectations of the pre-school rules. For example, children are reminded and encouraged to use 'kind hands' and 'kind words'. As a result, children's behaviour is good. Staff incorporate a tidy-up song to encourage children to help pack away toys. This helps children to develop an awareness of roles and responsibilities. Children build respectful relationships with each other and staff. The pre-school environment feels calm and relaxed.
• Children follow the routines of the pre-school well. Staff use a triangle and a tambourine to identify transition times during the day. When children hear the triangle they know to come to the carpet for circle time. However, staff do not always make best use of these times to maintain meaningful learning for children. For example, when staff take the register, children sit and wait for extended periods. This means that children's learning is limited during these times.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are swiftly identified. The leader liaises with parents and external professionals to support children with SEND. They use targeted support plans and strategies to meet children's individual needs. Staff use objects of reference, visual cards and now and next boards to help children express their needs and understand what is happening next. Regular review meetings take place to ensure all children are helped to make good progress.
• Staff plan a broad curriculum based on children's interests. Children enjoy a variety of activities that staff provide. For example they explore play dough, rolling, pressing and squeezing. However, staff do not always plan activities precisely enough to focus on children's next steps in their learning. As a result, sometimes children are not supported to make the best possible progress.
• Staff support children to develop their language and communication skills. They sing songs and share stories with children. Children join in with the stories and ask questions. Staff model language and use correct pronunciation. They adapt their interaction to support children with emerging language and those that need extra support. Staff hold conversations with two way communication, helping to extend children's vocabulary and language skills. As a result, children are confident to share their views and ideas.
• Staff build positive relationships with parents, sharing information and ideas on how to support children's learning and development. Key persons keep parents informed about their children's learning at pre-school, through daily discussions. Parents are invited to stay-and-play sessions and comment that they enjoy these as they get to see what their child does at pre-school.
• Staff feel supported by the leader and their well-being is good. Leaders hold regular supervision meetings to discuss professional development. Staff keep their knowledge up to date through online training. For example, staff recently refreshed their safeguarding training online.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to support children's learning consistently during daily routines
• plan activities more precisely to ensure they are tailored to meet children's individual needs.