Archway Children's Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have access to an excellent learning environment, and staff keep the children at the heart of every decision that is made. Staff have high expectations for children's learning and provide a very well-planned curriculum. This is based clearly on the skills that children need to become life-long learners. Children have very strong bonds with their key person, who monitors their progress carefully. Gaps in learning are identified quickly to ensure that children have every opportunity to progress.

Staff prioritise the happiness and well-being of all the children in all areas of their development by listening carefully to children's thoughts and opinions. Children of all ages have dedicated, imaginative spaces where they can reflect on how they feel and process their feelings. Children are treated with the utmost respect and care.

Staff are excellent role models to children. They are very kind and caring and support children in all areas without becoming intrusive. They have regard for the views of children and use them in their decision-making. In turn, children of all ages are extremely well behaved. They play cooperatively with each other, sharing resources and having fun in learning.

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

• The leadership team is inspirational in its commitment to supporting and developing the staff team. Leaders prioritise staff's well-being and professional development. Senior staff have a clear and extensive programme of support for all staff that begins during a well-planned induction. They invest in the team through individual one-to-one sessions and staff meetings to support all the staff to grow and learn. Leaders meet with staff after they have attended training to check on the learning and cascade it to all staff. Staff recognise the support they are offered and comment on the well-being support available to them.
• Leaders and staff provide all children with an ambitious curriculum that is very well embedded across all age groups. Staff understand the importance of securely building on children's learning with repetition. Children are given many opportunities to recall past learning experiences and practise them until they are secure. Real-life experiences are brought into the nursery in imaginative and very interesting ways. For example, during a trip to the seaside, staff and children collected seaweed, sea water, sand and seashells so that they can continue learning about them at nursery. These real learning experiences become part of children's memory and help them to recall significant events.
• Children of all ages are curious and active learners. They are very keen to take part in all the activities provided. They demonstrate high levels of concentration across all ages. For example, babies spend a long time in self-directed play, mark making with paint in the garden. Older children problem-solve using pipes in the water-play area to make water travel outside of the tray.
• Children have access to an outside play area that is highly stimulating and has many different areas for children to explore. They help staff to feed and care for chickens and water the well-established vegetable patch. Children can also run, climb, search for insects and read books in a cosy corner.
• Partnership working with parents is excellent. Parents comment on the high levels of quality feedback that they receive about their child's learning and development. They feel that they are genuinely working with the staff to enhance their children's early years experience. Parent representatives meet regularly with leaders to plan and review practice and policies.
• Children are offered healthy, well-balanced meals and snacks. Mealtimes are social opportunities where staff and children chat about what gives bodies energy and how muscles stay strong. All children have healthy appetites and confidently feed themselves. Older children confidently serve themselves, and young children are supported in learning these skills.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make excellent progress in relation to their starting points. They are expertly supported by staff under the guidance of the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), who is skilled at ensuring that children have all the support that they need.
• Staff teach children to assess risks for themselves and how to stay safe. The indoor and outdoor areas are regularly checked to ensure that they are safe for staff and children. Regular headcounts of children take place to ensure continued safety throughout the day. Staff deployment is highly effective in keeping children safe. Accidents and incidents are reported promptly to ensure that the risk is minimised for future occurrences. Older children help staff to complete accident report forms.