Belgrave Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

When children arrive, friendly staff greet them in English and their home language. This helps all children, including those who speak English as an additional language, to feel welcome. Children are supported by staff to understand similarities and differences between themselves and others. For instance, staff help them to learn about their own and other children's faiths and traditions. Children are supported to have a positive attitude in their play. For example, staff show and explain to children how to attach two toy trains together and encourage them to try for themselves. This results in children copying and persevering to solve problems.

Children show good teamwork when they work together to build and construct a tower, using large toy bricks. Staff praise children when they build the tower taller, encouraging them to take it in turns to stack bricks on top of each other. Children squeal and clap their hands with excitement as the tower gets higher and then falls over so they have to start again. Children are supported by staff to learn how they can keep themselves safe. For example, when they walk down stairs, children are reminded by staff to hold onto the banisters. Children hold staff's hands when they walk with them in the street.

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

• The manager supports staff to attend training courses. This helps them to develop their knowledge of how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This includes staff showing children pictures and using repetitive words to support their speaking skills.
• The manager and staff support children's emotional well-being effectively. For example, when they first start attending, information is gathered from parents to help staff provide toys that are familiar to children, helping them to settle. Before children move on to school, the manager invites school teachers to visit and interact with the children. This helps children to become familiar with the person who will be caring for them.
• Children are supported to be independent. For example, when staff ask them to wash their hands before eating, they do this willingly, promoting good hygiene routines. With the support from staff, children pour their own drinks at snack time and gather their belongings before they leave the playgroup.
• When children first start to attend the playgroup, the manager and staff gather information from parents to help them to establish children's abilities. They use this information, along with their observations and assessments of children's learning, to help identify what children need to learn next. Staff know the children well and how to support them to progress in their development. This includes providing one-to-one time to focus on specific aspects of learning for children with SEND.
• Overall, staff support children's communication and language skills well. For example, staff use gestures as well as words when they describe objects that are big. This contributes to supporting children's understanding of the words they use. However, occasionally, staff's interactions with children do not encourage them to think and respond during conversations.
• Staff share information with parents about their children's learning. This helps to keep them updated about their children's progress. Staff invite parents to attend workshops to help develop their knowledge of how to encourage their children to be creative. The manager uses additional funding that some children receive to support parents to continue their children's learning at home. This includes purchasing toys and books for them to borrow.
• Parents appreciate the support staff give their children with regards to their speaking skills. They like how staff speak to their children in their home language first and then help them to speak English.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to develop a sense of responsibility and to show positive behaviours. For instance, when staff ask them, children willingly help to set chairs around tables in preparation for snack time. Children show kindness when they tell their peers that it is time for a snack.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to learn how to brush their teeth to help promote oral hygiene. However, staff do not fully support children to embed their knowledge of the benefits of making healthy choices around food and drinks.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's interactions to encourage them to help children think and respond during conversations
• support staff to increase opportunities for children to learn about the benefits of making healthy choices around food and drinks.