Brighteyes

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily and greet their key person warmly. They are eager to see their friends. They excitedly explore the exciting activities that caring adults have provided for them. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress through the well-planned and sequenced curriculum. Adults know each child very well and carefully observe their progress. Babies explore play dough and learn new words to describe their actions. Toddlers make collage pictures of planets as they learn about space. Older children explore construction through building with sand and blocks. Adults want all children to succeed. They offer open-ended questions to challenge and help children to progress. They encourage children to think creatively and develop a can-do attitude.

Children feel safe and secure as adults help them to be independent and manage risk safely. Children behave well and learn to follow the routine confidently. Young children independently go to the hand basin to wash their hands before snack. Some pre-school children walk carefully, and some sit on their bottoms to come downstairs as they go the garden. Adults are close by sensitively supporting and encouraging all children's progress.

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

• Adults plan activities that help children to learn new skills and develop their curiosity. Toddlers test their own ideas as they experiment with ice paint. Adults encourage them to see what happens when they mix primary colours. They help children to think about the changes in colour as they mix them. Adults encourage pre-school children to write new letters and words on white boards. For some children, this activity is too challenging. They lose interest and look for other things to do.
• Children develop their communication skills well. Adults model and sign words with the babies. Babies sing familiar rhymes and songs in a group. They snuggle into adults as they happily join in with the words and actions. Toddlers share stories and repeat known phrases with glee. Adults read stories with passion to engage the toddlers. They draw children's attention to the pictures and encourage them to join in with key words. Pre-school children learn about letters and sounds during group activities. They engage well and are confident at sounding out familiar letters. Sometimes, in free-flow play, it is difficult for children to hear each other. This is because the pre-school room is very noisy and loud. This means that for some children, their speech and language may not progress as well as it could.
• Children's individual needs are met very well by thoughtful adults. Adults provide warm and considerate care for babies and toddlers, following their routine. They cuddle babies to sleep and sing rhymes during nappy changing. Dietary needs are carefully met, with extremely robust systems in place. Children develop a strong awareness of healthy lifestyles. Older children take part in movement and music sessions. All children have lots of opportunities to explore and learn in the gardens. Pre-school children discuss healthy meals in role-play activities. They look at recipe books with adults.
• Partnerships with parents are very effective. Adults share children's progress and next steps brilliantly with parents. Parents feel very supported by the setting. They know their children are well cared for and safe. Parents of children with SEND know their children are well supported and make good progress.
• The SEND coordinator works in partnership with outside agencies and professionals. This ensures that these children have the right support. Adults are very knowledgeable about different teaching strategies to support children with SEND. This means that they can access all areas of the curriculum and will be ready for the next stage of education.
• Leaders and managers are very reflective of practice. They are passionate about equality and have effective systems in place to meet the needs of all children and families. They support staff well through regular meetings. They encourage staff to train and develop their knowledge and skills. This ensures that outcomes for children constantly improve.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• adapt the pre-school room environment to improve the quality of the sound so all children can talk and hear clearly
• differentiate group activities for older children to ensure all children have meaningful experiences.