Young Discoverers Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle in quickly and easily. Staff greet children and parents in a warm and enthusiastic way. There is a flexible settling-in procedure. Staff adapt the plan to suit the children. This helps children to become familiar with the pre-school. Staff create a calm, well-planned learning environment. Children actively engage in their play and learning. Staff provide a variety of activities, including chalk drawing, glittery play dough and threading reels. This helps to develop children's small hand muscles. Children follow their interests and use their imagination. Staff encourage children to talk about their creations. This develops their speaking and listening skills. Staff capture children's curiosity and excitement as they turn over a mat to expose bugs and gather children's interests. Staff encourage children to use language and make observations of the world around them.

Children run around, avoid obstacles, such as the trees and bicycles, and explore the garden fully. Children develop their gross motor skills further on an assault course. They balance on planks and jump off blocks. This helps to develop their core strength as they persevere, solve problems and take turns. Staff help children who need help to balance by offering a hand to hold. Staff praise children. This helps develop their confidence and self-esteem. Children's behaviour is good. Staff help children to learn good social skills. They facilitate resolving conflicts. For example, when children argue over holding ducks in the water tray, staff skilfully help them to take turns and share.

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

• Children use language they have learned at pre-school to communicate their needs and desires to staff and their peers. They manoeuvre pieces of guttering, testing different angles, to make a ramp for cars to go down smoothly. Children say, 'Hold the end for me,' as they work together, reminding their friends of how to help. They are developing good problem-solving and negotiation skills.
• Staff provide an engaging environment. They plan activities that interest children and play with them to help them remain engaged. However, staff do not always use these opportunities to extend children's language and thinking skills fully.
• Staff know children well. They make regular assessments and identify suitable next steps in children's learning. However, staff do not always focus sharply on these next steps during spontaneous play to help children make the best possible progress.
• Staff are inclusive and value the home languages spoken. The use of picture cards and greetings on lanyards enables staff to communicate well with parents and children. Staff use signing to communicate with children who speak English as an additional language.
• Staff promote healthy eating in the pre-school. Children create artwork and colourful displays that help to increase their awareness of healthy lifestyles. Children demonstrate a secure understanding when they discuss how 'Apples make me strong.'
• Parents value the staff, their energy and enthusiasm. Parents feel supported by the management team. They report good progress in their children's behaviour and social skills. Communication with parents is effective. Parents report that children are happy and well looked after.
• Managers have systems in place that support staff with their training and development needs. They plan according to the needs of the pre-school. For example, managers recruit and train additional staff to work with children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This means children with SEND receive the support to which they are entitled to help them make progress.
• Managers have policies and procedures in place, including regular supervision and feedback. Staff report that they feel supported personally and professionally.
• Managers spend early years pupil premium funding appropriately. The picture books, puppets and story sacks are used by staff to help disadvantaged children build on their vocabulary and understanding of numbers.
• Staff offer parents visual resources to take home to support children's language development. This helps parents to continue their children's learning at home, which contributes to children's success in future life.
• The home role-play area enables children to bring their home life into pre-school. For example, children neatly fold clothes that have been in the 'washing machine'. This helps to develop their imaginative skills.
• Managers work with health visitors and social workers to support vulnerable children to do well. Children with SEND are identified quickly. The team use this information to identify appropriate pathways and plans to support children effectively.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• guide staff to focus more sharply on children's next steps in learning
• help staff to strengthen interactions with children to extend children's thinking and language skills.