Burdett Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and enjoy spending time at this warm and welcoming playgroup. Children show that they feel safe as they separate from their parents with ease and eagerly engage in the environment. The playgroup benefits from a consistent staff team, who have worked together over many years. They get to know children well from the start. Children's independence is highly promoted from the start as they are encouraged to hang up their own coats and bags. Children behave well throughout the day. Staff are on hand to support children with sharing, turn taking and other interactions.

The leadership team have developed a clear curriculum and support staff to be clear about what they want children to learn. Staff provide children with a variety of experiences based on children's likes and interests, such as dinosaurs. For example, children enjoy using dough. They use different objects to roll, poke and squeeze the dough and introduce the dinosaurs as they play.

Parents are happy with the care their children receive. They talk of the friendly staff and warm, supportive environment. They comment their children have made good progress and are ready for the move on to school.

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

• The varied and broad curriculum supports children of all ages. Staff provide children with a range of challenging and motivating activities and experiences. For example, children enjoy reading a wide variety of books with staff in the well-resourced, cosy book corner and make pretend pizza in the role-play area. Children have access to a range of technology and persist with electronic toys.
• Language and literacy are promoted well. Staff encourage children's emerging language skills. For example, when children delight in watching a squirrel in the garden, staff ask questions and encourage the children to describe the squirrel. Children then go on to talk about squirrels at the park.
• Children are becoming increasingly independent. Staff encourage children to do things for themselves, such as fasten their coats and wipe their noses. Staff promote children's good health. Children are encouraged to be physically active in the large outdoor area. Staff help them to develop their small physical movements and encourage them to try things for themselves. Children select their own resources, such as a large pirate ship to play with.
• Leaders and staff use assessment well and link with other professionals when they identify children who would benefit from extra help to support their learning. They work closely with parents to meet the individual needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and put strategies in place straight away. This ensures that gaps in children's development close quickly.
• From the very start, the leader and staff team support parents. There is a flexible settling-in process. This supports children and parents to feel secure. Staff support parents who speak different languages by translating communications into home languages, where possible. Staff encourage parents to be involved with their child's learning at home. Parents enjoy a range of family events hosted by the playgroup, such as a graduation ceremony and Christmas party.
• Leaders work closely with staff, meeting regularly and giving constructive feedback. Staff comment they feel supported by their leaders. However, staff are not fully confident in consistently implementing everyday routines and activities to ensure that all children know what is happening now and next. This means that some children do not fully benefit from snack and group times.
• The leader ensures that staff receive the mandatory training they need. However, she has not yet focused professional development on enhancing staff's knowledge and teaching practice to the highest level. For example, some staff ask children lots of questions, without allowing them thinking time to formulate a response.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the implementation of everyday routines and activities, especially snack and whole-group times, to help children to know what to expect and participate fully
• develop opportunities to extend staff's knowledge and teaching practice to an even higher level.