All Saints Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a warm welcome from staff when they arrive at the playgroup. They show great excitement as they run off to play and link up with their friends. They thrive in the care of the enthusiastic, friendly staff. Children show they are settled and really enjoy the rich and varied learning experiences that staff carefully plan.

Staff use every opportunity to foster children's self-esteem. They show genuine pride when children achieve. For example, when a shy child answers a question confidently. Children develop confidence, learn behavioural expectations and are well behaved. They line up and walk safely between the indoor area and allotment. They learn to take turns and share, using sand timers to ensure fair use of favourite toys.

All children have great fun exploring the playgroup allotment each day. They choose from the many activities staff plan, showing motivation to learn. They talk avidly with staff about what they are doing and gain greater understanding of the natural world. Children find stones, sticks and leaves to match reference sheets. They discuss whether their finds are small, big, long, short or tall. They delight as they find worms and minibeasts and carefully transfer them to the bug hotel, showing care for living things. Children play in the mud kitchen, mixing soil and water vigorously. They pour and manipulate tools, developing their coordination. They develop their physical skills as they dig, climb and slide, balance and step across tree stumps.

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

• The management team and staff are highly enthusiastic in their roles. They work with a passion to ensure that every child is nurtured in their learning and development and that they develop the skills they will need when they move on to school. They share observations of children's learning so they all understand what children need to learn next. They also share practice ideas.
• Staff embrace training opportunities. For example, they have completed a 'speech sounds' course to enhance the support they provide for children who find verbal communication more difficult. They skilfully support all children to encourage their language and thinking. They model language, provide a narrative to children's play and introduce new vocabulary. They seek outside professional support and implement effective strategies to support children's communication skills further.
• The staff team implement a curriculum that takes good account of children's abilities and covers all areas of learning. They plan a varied choice of activities indoors and know that some boys, in particular, gravitate to small-world play in preference to other activities. However, staff have not fully explored ways to build even more effectively on children's interests to enhance their all-round learning. Also, although staff interactions with children are highly positive, overall, there are times when the youngest children would benefit from a little more guidance during self-chosen play.
• Children develop a love of books. They enjoy snuggling up with staff to listen to stories. Staff read stories with great enthusiasm and ask questions to engage the children's interest in the narrative and illustrations.
• Children's mathematical development is promoted well. Children count confidently. Many count to 10 and beyond. Some recognise numerals. Staff challenge most-able children to complete simple calculations and gain understanding of more complex mathematical ideas to further their progress.
• Staff are very good at encouraging children to become independent. For example, children learn to clean their teeth, change their shoes, put on their coats and to manage packaging in their packed lunches.
• Staff value the diverse family backgrounds of the children. The curriculum encompasses cultural celebrations and traditions that reflect family homelands. Children learn to value diversity and to respect one another. Children enjoy learning about Chinese New Year. They explore noodles, discussing size and shape. They compare words in Chinese and English. They practise their early writing skills as they colour and trace shapes. Staff encourage children as they cut spiral snakes with increasing control.
• Parents share how impressed they are with the support they and their children receive from staff. They feel extremely well informed about their children's learning. They appreciate the regular newsletters and children's progress reports. They enjoy opportunities to join their children in the setting for stay- and-play picnics and celebrations.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build even more effectively on children's interests so as to engage them in aspects of learning that they are less keen on
• monitor the play and learning experiences of two-year-olds during self-chosen play to make sure that they continue to receive the very good level of support that they get at other times.