All Saints Children's Ventures Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at this setting happy and excited to learn. They independently hang up their belongings before eagerly joining their friends. Children have formed close bonds with staff and their peers. They demonstrate that they feel safe and secure here. Staff are positive role models. They teach children to share toys and resources from an early age. Children are kind and caring to their friends. For example, children work well as a team as they help each other to squeeze paint out of tubs into bags.

Staff plan stimulating activities that motivate children to learn. Younger children are enthralled as they make their own play dough. They take turns to put the ingredients into the bowl, squashing and squeezing the mixture. Older children are captivated as they solve problems to explore how to make secondary colours. They use coloured cellophane holders to test out their predictions. Children have opportunities to grow a range of fruit and vegetables in the garden. They observe the changes to their tomato and strawberry plants. Children pick fruit to eat from their apple and pear trees in the garden. They learn what plants need to grow and how to care for them.

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

• Staff create a broad and balanced curriculum. They know where children are up to in their development and plan appropriate next steps in their learning. All children make good levels of progress in their development.
• Partnerships with parents are excellent. Parents praise the setting for being extremely 'supportive and friendly'. They are grateful for the regular updates they receive about children's development. Staff share ideas for parents to carry out at home. For example, parents enjoy using the range of 'grab bags' to help them support children with toilet training at home. This helps to provide continuity in children's learning.
• Staff provide various opportunities to enhance children's growing independence. Younger children set up the table at snack time. Children serve their own food using tongs. They wash their own plates in the sink. Children gain a great sense of pride in the activities they can complete by themselves. This helps to raise their self-esteem.
• Overall, children's behaviour is good. Children offer each other caring gestures, such as giving their friends a hug and a wave before they go home. However, staff do not always provide children with clear instructions during whole-group activities. This sometimes results in children not listening because they do not understand what is expected of them.
• Children's physical development is promoted well. Younger children balance skilfully across obstacle courses. Older children practise their football skills as they take turns to try and score goals in the garden. Children are able to run around outside. They ride around the outdoor area on bicycles and tricycles. This helps to build up children's large-muscle movements.
• The special educational needs coordinators work in partnership with parents and other professionals to help meet children's individual needs. They make referrals to outside agencies to gain further support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Additional funding, such as early years pupil premium, is used effectively. Staff use the funding to support children's development. For example, a sensory den was set up to help children learn more about their feelings. This helps children learn how to express their emotions effectively.
• Children's communication and language skills are promoted well. Children are becoming confident communicators. Younger children are immersed in their learning as they sing counting rhymes. Older children join in with repeated and well-known phrases in books. Staff listen attentively to children as they share their news and opinions. This helps to promote children's communication skills.
• Regular supervisions are in place to support and develop staff's practice and teaching. Staff comment on how their well-being is prioritised. However, training opportunities are not specific to individual members of staff. This does not help staff to extend their individual teaching knowledge to support children's learning further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to provide clear instructions to children, ensuring they understand what is expected of them during whole-group sessions
• strengthen staff supervisions and training opportunities to support staff to further improve their individual knowledge and practice.