Brimpsfield and Birdlip Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the setting happy and pleased to see their friends. They access a broad range of good-quality resources that are thoughtfully set up by staff who know children and their interests well. Children are familiar with the daily routines. They develop an awareness of hygiene routines and wash their hands each morning when they arrive. Children are independent. They hang their belongings on their peg and enter the hall, where they take turns to self-register. Older children show an awareness and understanding of some letters and sounds. They immediately recognise their first name and confidently announce the initial sound. The youngest children receive support from staff to find their name. Staff reduce the number of name cards and celebrate with children when they find theirs.

Children are supported to develop important skills required for future learning, such as the move to school. Older children display good social skills and develop strong early friendships with peers of a similar age. They become absorbed in imaginative play and group games. Children dress up as familiar storybook characters and assign roles to each other. They chase each other and shriek with laughter as they recreate their very own 'gruffalo hunt'. Children try hard to place their costumes back onto a clothes hanger when they have finished with them.

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

• The setting has effective induction procedures which support children to settle promptly. Staff meet with parents, when children first begin to attend, to gather information about children's interests and prior knowledge and skills. However, there is scope to further develop partnerships with parents and promote opportunities for two-way conversations to support continuity and consistency in children's learning between home and the setting.
• Children enthusiastically investigate the learning environment. They explore a range of interesting resources and are eager to test their ideas and find out how items work. For example, children twist knobs on a radio and understand how this changes the volume. Younger children hang binoculars around their neck and look through them both ways. However, on occasions, staff do not always recognise when to enhance interactions with children to further support their learning and development.
• Staff develop effective partnerships with other settings that children attend. They share information about children's individual characters and learning styles, as well as areas in need of further support. Staff have strong links with the nearby primary school. At lunchtime, children eat with school pupils in the hall. This helps children to become familiar with school routines and develop early relationships with teachers and older children. The manager also invites Reception teachers into the setting to visit and get to know children in their own environment.
• Parents share complimentary feedback about the 'experienced staff team' and the 'organised environment' which supports children's play and learning. They explain how well their children have settled and 'the peace of mind' knowing their children are in safe hands.
• Staff support children's mathematical development well. They introduce children to the language of size and introduce words such as 'big' and 'small'. Staff encourage children to sort small counting bears into groups based on their colour. Children create patterns of size and colour. Staff make assessments of children's learning and use this information to plan further activities to support their good progress.
• Children display an interest in books and listen attentively to stories read by enthusiastic staff. They are familiar with the story and excitedly join in with repeated phrases. Staff support children's communication skills and encourage children to discuss their own experiences of making gingerbread. They help children to understand difference. Staff explain that each gingerbread has different eyes and a different number of buttons.
• The committed manager and staff team work well together. They reflect on practice daily and evaluate each session, identifying areas of strength or areas for development. The manager is committed to making improvements to raise the quality of the setting. For example, she reflected on the layout of the room and moved the dinosaur resources from a table to the floor to encourage more children to become involved.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen partnerships with parents and build on two-way conversations to support continuity and consistency in children's learning between home and the setting
• support staff to recognise when to enhance their interactions with children's play to further extend children's learning.