Boothstown Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enthusiastically arrive at the playgroup, eager to start their day. They receive a warm welcome from friendly staff, who know the children and their families well. Children show that they feel safe and secure at playgroup as they confidently choose activities that staff plan, based on children's interests. The children seek out their friends and show excitement as they play and explore. They show good independence skills. For example, they confidently change into princess dresses and concentrate intently while using scissors to cut paper. The children are developing the skills required for the next stage in their learning.

Staff are positive role models and reinforce their expectations of children's behaviour well. They use a fair and gentle approach. For example, staff remind children to use walking feet when inside. Children behave well. They follow the playgroup routine well, and children can be seen to be sharing and taking turns. Children develop good physical skills. For example, they enjoy exploring play dough, and squeeze and roll the dough. They wait patiently as they share the different tools that they use to cut and mould shapes. Staff promote a positive attitude to health. For example, they remind children of the importance of washing their hands before mealtimes. Furthermore, children take part in yoga activities, showing good control and coordination. This helps to create a calm and positive environment in which children thrive.

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

• Leaders and staff focus on developing children's communication and social skills within all activities. Staff promote children's interest in books and language throughout their day at the playgroup. Children readily choose their favourite books and share them with adults. Children use complex words, such as 'oesophagus', during mealtimes, explaining how the water they drink travels through their body. Children are developing effective communication skills.
• Staff work well as a team to provide good-quality education for children. They talk to children and ask relevant questions to encourage them to respond. Sometimes, children are not given enough time to answer the questions that staff ask. This means that children do not always have the opportunity to be able to think for themselves and demonstrate what they already know.
• Staff provide children with many opportunities to develop their mathematical understanding and language. Children begin to use the language of comparison. For example, they use words such as 'bigger' and 'smaller' as they play with safari animals. Older children can be heard counting as they share how many 'pennies' they have found during an activity. Children are developing a good understanding of early mathematical concepts.
• Care for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is a strength of the playgroup. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children get the required levels of support that they need. This has a positive impact on the quality of education that all children receive. All children make good progress from their starting points.
• Parents highly praise the staff and comment that their children have made very good progress since starting at the playgroup. Staff keep parents well informed by sharing information about their child's day and progress while at playgroup. Parents feel understood and very well supported, particularly with how to continue their children's learning at home.
• Overall, leaders support staff well. Staff report that they receive good help and guidance within their roles. Effective systems are in place for the supervision of staff. The management team regularly observes staff's teaching and practice. However, leaders do not always ensure that all staff receive clear targets to help them to improve their quality of teaching to the highest level.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide children with more time to respond to questions and think through their ideas to extend their learning even further
• enhance the supervision of staff and provide more-specific, tailored support to enable all staff to raise the quality of their teaching even higher.