Wymeswold Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy to arrive at the calm and welcoming pre-school. They show they are well-settled and comfortable as they quickly become engaged in the activities which are available. The staff know the children well and provide a range of activities which meet their developmental needs and interests. Children learn to behave well and follow instructions when staff ask them to wash their hands before lunch. Staff support children as they learn to take turns and be kind to their friends. Children are encouraged to use their manners and say please and thank you. Staff support children to recognise different emotions. When they read stories to children they talk about how the characters in the books may be feeling.

Children become increasingly independent. Staff are very patient with children as they give them lots of time to practise doing things for themselves. Children develop resilience as they keep trying to do something new. Staff give lots of positive praise and encouragement which boosts children's self-esteem. Children are confident as they approach staff and visitors and share their thoughts and ideas. Staff participate in children's role play and support their language development. Children develop good imaginations as they provide staff with pretend cups of coffee and ask if they would like sugar.

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

• The manager and the staff team know what they want children to learn. Staff focus on children becoming independent and ready for school. They implement the curriculum effectively, and children learn to do things for themselves. For example, staff teach younger children to do up the zips on their coats. They calmly explain how to join the sides of the zip and slide them up to the top. Older children learn to twist the lids on containers in their lunchboxes.
• Children develop a love of reading. Staff read books in an exciting and engaging way. They use their arms and hands to make gestures and simple signs to support children's understanding of the story. Children show their prior knowledge and learning as they confidently recall familiar words and repeat phrases.
• Staff plan activities effectively to enable children to make progress towards their next steps in learning. Children show high levels of engagement and enjoy the activities. However, on occasions, staff focus their attention on more confident children during group activities. As a result, quieter and less confident children are not always encouraged to share their ideas and knowledge. This does not help them to further build their confidence.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) provides small group and individual activities tailored to children's needs. She has a robust understanding of child development and quickly identifies any children at risk of falling behind. The SENCo works closely with external agencies to gain support for children who need it. Children with SEND make excellent progress from their starting points.
• Staff's interactions with children promote children's communication and language development well. Staff ask children thoughtful questions and allow them time to think about their responses. They model language well and skilfully repeat words back to children who struggle with pronunciation. Staff use children's interests to teach new vocabulary. For example, children learn to describe hedgehogs as prickly and talk about other things which may be spiky.
• Staff support children with their early mathematical skills. Children learn the concepts of empty and full. Staff successfully extend this learning for older children and explain the concept of overflowing. When children help staff to put their friend's lunchboxes in the fridge, staff teach them to count and use their fingers as support.
• The manager is highly reflective of the pre-school and her practice. She conducts regular observations of staff practice and provides them with feedback and targets for improvement. Staff receive regular supervision and feel well-supported. The manager ensures that all staff, including herself, attend regular training to further develop their skills and better support the children who attend.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to strengthen their interactions with children during group activities to ensure quieter, less-confident children are fully engaged in their learning.