Yardley Gobion Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly welcomed at this homely and nurturing pre-school. Staff greet children with smiles and engage in friendly conversations with them. Children show they are happy and relaxed at pre-school as they confidently make choices in their play. They independently select activities that staff have tailored to meet their individual needs and interests. This promotes children's engagement and enthusiasm for learning, ensuring that every child reaches their full potential.

Children's imagination and language skills are well promoted as staff play alongside them. For instance, staff help children to dress dolls and encourage them to share their ideas during their play. Staff teach children new words, such as 'whisking' and 'gloopy', while children play with mud and water in the outdoor play kitchen. Staff introduce young children to early mathematics. They encourage children to compare size, shape and colour when collecting autumn leaves.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and teach children their 'golden rules'. This supports children to behave well and be respectful. Staff support children to cooperate and take turns as they play. For instance, staff encourage children to work together to lift the guttering high, allowing the sand to flow down. Staff offer lots of praise and encouragement to build children's confidence.

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

• Staff deliver an effectively sequenced curriculum and use assessment to identify children's next steps in learning. They plan activities which follow children's interests to help to ensure that children are motivated to learn. Staff take into account how children like to learn, using what they know children enjoy to teach them something new. For example, staff help children to use mirrors to identify facial expressions and recognise different emotions.
• Overall, staff interactions are positive, and they engage well with children during play. However, they do not always build on or challenge children's thinking further. For example, when older children find bugs such as spiders and snails, staff enthusiastically acknowledge what they have found but do not build on children's knowledge, supporting them to know and understand more.
• Staff support children to develop their communication and language skills. They speak clearly, modelling words and speech, and comment on what children are doing. Staff recognise the value of singing songs and rhymes and reading stories to help children to acquire and use new words.
• Overall, staff support children to be independent. Children are encouraged to attend to their own personal hygiene needs as they wash and dry their hands. During snack time, they pour their own drinks and tidy away their plates.
• However, at times, staff do things for children that they can do for themselves, such as unpacking their lunch boxes, putting on their coats or finding accessible resources. This does not enable children to practise these skills ready for their eventual move to school.
• Staff promote a healthy lifestyle and help children understand the importance of keeping healthy. They provide nutritious snacks and talk to children about the benefits of the foods they are eating. Staff plan activities that teach children about good oral hygiene, such as using toothbrushes to practise brushing pretend teeth. Children's physical development is promoted as staff use daily dance sessions to help develop their coordination. Outside, children are supported to use various climbing equipment, helping them learn to balance climb and negotiate space.
• Staff broaden children's experiences of the world around them. For instance, children enjoy trips into the community, including to the local primary school, church and walks around the local area. Children get to learn about each other as they share their experiences with photos and souvenirs from their travels and family events.
• Staff have developed strong parent partnerships. They provide regular updates on children's learning though daily conversations and digital communications. Staff share children's next steps in learning so parents know how they can continue learning at home. Parents report that their children have developed better confidence and communication skills since joining the pre-school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff interactions to continuously build on what children already know and can do
• provide a consistent approach to developing children's increasing independence.