Bearswraparound Care Services @ Mount Carmel RC Primary School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a warm and welcoming environment. They are dedicated practitioners who care deeply about the children and families they support. Staff know each child incredibly well. They gather detailed information about children's unique needs from the outset. This means that children are supported effectively to settle and begin to learn from the start. Children demonstrate that they feel happy and safe in the familiar, homely surroundings. Positive and nurturing relationships are developed with staff. This helps children to develop confidence and a sense of security.

The unique curriculum is based upon children's individual next steps in learning. Staff understand what children find interesting. They use their individual interest to motivate them as they play. For example, children's interest in cars is used to encourage them to join in more creative and messy play activities, such as painting. Opportunities, such as this, help to develop children's hand muscles in readiness for early writing.

Staff are committed to ensuring that all children make progress from their starting points. They support children to understand their feelings and manage their behaviour appropriately. Gentle reminders are used when some behaviours are unwanted. Children play cooperatively together and behave well. This contributes to a harmonious atmosphere in the nursery and, overall, enables children to make the most of the learning opportunities provided.

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

• The nursery manager is clear in what she intends children to learn while attending the nursery. The staff team offer children a full range of carefully planned learning opportunities in the indoors. However, staff do not consistently give the same consideration to opportunities outdoors and these are less well established. This means that at times, children who prefer to learn in the outdoors are not as well supported.
• Staff carefully monitor the progress each child makes. This enables them to identify and swiftly address any emerging gaps in children's learning and development. The provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a strength. The extremely knowledgeable SEND coordinator is deeply committed to working in partnership with any outside agencies involved in the care and development of children. Children quickly get the individual support they need to make good progress over time.
• Children develop close bonds with all staff. They seek staff out for cuddles when needed and listen carefully when following instructions. Children have fun with the staff. For example, they giggle as staff pretend to be a customer who would
• Inspection report: Bearswraparound Care Services @ Mount Carmel RC Primary School 2 12 March 2024 like a cup of tea during role-play activities. Opportunities like these help to build children's confidence and communication skills.
• Staff plan a range of activities and entice children to join in. They talk to children about what they see them doing during activities and skilfully introduce new words in order to extend their growing vocabularies. For example, while making fruit kebabs staff introduce words such as pineapple and strawberry as children investigate what the different fruits taste like. Children practise repeating the new vocabulary. This strategy is particularly effective at enhancing the communication skills of children who are learning English as an additional language.
• Staff appreciate the consideration that the manager gives to their well-being. They recognise the little gestures she makes that mean staff feel appreciated. The manager monitors staff in their roles. She observes staff and plans targeted training opportunities. That said, the manager does not consistently identify aspects of staff teaching that can be improved further in order to raise the quality of teaching to the highest level.
• Parents speak highly of the staff team. They value the updates staff provide on children's progress and next steps in learning. Staff provide ideas and suggestions as to what parents may do with their children at home. This helps parents to successfully contribute to their child's learning and helps to ensure a consistent approach to children's care.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to be clear in what they intend for children, particularly those who prefer to play outside, to learn as a result of the opportunities provided
• build on the systems for assessing the performance of practitioners and focus more sharply on helping them to develop their teaching skills to the highest level.
• Inspection report: Bearswraparound Care Services @ Mount Carmel RC Primary School 3 12 March 2024