Yaddlethorpe Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff have high expectations for children's learning and development in this inclusive and nurturing pre-school. Children of all ages have a wonderful time and access a wealth of resources. The well-planned curriculum is based on what children know and what they need to learn next. Staff know all the children very well through their close working relationships. Key staff understand children's starting points in learning and support them to make good progress in their development.

Staff use a consistent approach to managing behaviour and have high expectations of all children. Staff use good levels of verbal communication alongside physical signs and signals, such as 'high five' and thumbs up, to praise and encourage children. This raises children's self-esteem, belief and confidence in their own abilities. Children understand the golden rules of pre-school and staff remind children of these when managing any escalated behaviours. Staff encourage children to reflect on their feelings and children learn how to self-manage any conflicts.

Children have plenty of opportunities to make choices about their play. This supports their decision-making and independence skills effectively. Children are motivated to play and learn. They benefit from a wide variety of activities which are tailored to their interests. Children show good levels of concentration and are keen to try new challenges.

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

• The manager and staff are committed to providing a high-quality provision. They work together as a team to ensure they meet children's individual needs. The manager ensures that staff receive regular support and access to a wide range of training opportunities. This supports staff's very good knowledge and skills.
• Staff are highly valued, and their well-being is considered. The long-standing staff team works incredibly well together and provides a calm, happy, family atmosphere. Staff show enthusiasm and commitment to their role. Overall, they interact very well with children and are skilful at responding to them during play to extend their learning. However, there are some staff whose level of engagement with children is not as dynamic as their peers. Therefore, at times, children do not benefit from the highest quality interactions, so their learning is not challenged to the highest level.
• Children have access to a rich outdoor play environment that they assess for risk with support from staff. Twice a week, older children take part in forest school sessions. They benefit from a highly qualified and experienced staff member. She is supported by enthusiastic staff who enable children to learn about keeping safe in the outdoor environment. Children understand the rules of firepit safety and confidently explain these. They use tools to hammer nails into wood. Children show their investigation skills as they hunt for bugs with checklists and magnifying glasses. Children are thrilled as they learn how to make marks without using pens or pencils.
• Children develop excellent communication and language skills. Staff support children's early language development through fostering a love of books and songs. Staff are skilled at introducing new words and engaging children in meaningful conversations. For example, staff explain the difference between a hammer and a mallet. Staff ensure books are available in all areas of play. The introduction of a lending library means parents can support children's literacy skills further. However, during some adult-led activities, for example making bird feeders, resources are less well considered. This means some children do not really participate in the activity. Therefore, their learning is not as effectively consolidated.
• The special educational needs coordinator provides advice and guidance to staff. She works closely with parents and other professionals and implements individualised targets to help close gaps in children's learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from this intense support to help them make swift progress. This includes accessing funding for the provision of one-to-one support.
• Staff work in close partnership with parents and share daily communications with them. Parents say they are extremely happy and their children are making good progress. Staff share children's learning needs and provide ideas of what parents can do at home to support their children's learning further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support some staff to provide higher levels of teaching and interactions, to further enhance children's learning experiences
• ensure resources are carefully considered and support children to meet the desired learning intentions during some adult-led activities.