Biddenden PlaySchool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children display high levels of confidence and have good social skills. The calm atmosphere allows children to explore at their own pace and make their own decisions in their play. Staff make effective use of the setting's dog to teach children about safety. For example, children are learning about how to take care of the dog and how to approach dogs safely when in public. This supports children who are afraid of dogs to overcome their fear and develop their confidence. As a result, children enjoy the therapeutic benefits the dog brings to the setting.

Children have plenty of opportunities to develop their physical skills. Staff provide weekly opportunities for children to engage in a variety of physical activities. For example, they go for woodland walks around the open spaces and fields, take part in racket sports and engage in dance classes. These opportunities encourage children to develop their strength, balance and coordination.

Children are encouraged to develop their early literacy skills. For example, they show high levels of engagement as they listen to staff read stories. Children are developing a love for reading, exposing them to a variety of new words and language. Staff are supporting pre-school children to recognise their name. As a result, children are eager to explore letters further as they complete an alphabet puzzle. This shows how children are becoming independent learners, prepared for their future in education.

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

• Staff know the children extremely well and adapt activities to follow their interests. For example, children are particularly interested in painting. They are keen to take part in mark-making activities and have fun as they explore different colours. Staff talk to children about what they are drawing. This helps to promote children's creativity and imagination. These opportunities help children to make good progress in their learning.
• During story time, children engage in discussions about emotions. They are encouraged to show these emotions through different expressions. For example, children show their happy and scared faces. This is a positive experience for children, who show a secure understanding of what people look like when they display particular emotions. However, some staff spend time asking children closed questions to find out what they already know. This restricts the conversation and limits staff's ability to identify any potential gaps in children's learning, impacting the progress they could make.
• Staff are supporting children to learn about oral hygiene and good health. For example, staff provide children with a range of dental equipment to learn about the role of the dentist. Children have fun as they engage in pretend play with their friends, laughing as they take turns pretending to brush each other's teeth. This is a positive experience for children to learn about different occupations and how to take care of the body.
• Staff regularly encourage children to develop their independence. For example, pre-school children are learning to recognise their names. Children hang up their coats on the correctly labelled peg. They are attentive, spending time looking for the names of their friends. This helps to prepare pre-school children for their transition to school.
• Children have plenty of opportunities to engage in different learning experiences. Staff regularly check what children have learned, such as during their conversations. However, they do not always take the opportunity to build further on children's knowledge. For example, when they talk about where cheese comes from, children display a secure knowledge, talking about milk and cows.
• Parents speak highly of the staff team. They feel well supported by staff and comment on how happy their children are when they attend the setting. Parents feel well informed about their children's learning and progress and enjoy sharing learning that children have engaged in at home. This helps to extend children's learning even further.
• The manager has a good overview of the setting. She works very closely with her staff team, providing coaching and support when required. She is passionate about her role and adapts practice to suit the needs of the children and staff. As a result, staff morale is high, and the environment is calm.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to identify when to use more effective questioning techniques to identify any gaps in children's knowledge
• support staff in providing further challenge to the most able children to continually build on and broaden their knowledge and skills.