Busy Otters

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and settle quickly in a well-organised environment. They have adapted well to changes due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. For example, children arrive and immediately wash their hands to help keep themselves and others safe. They receive very good support from staff as they settle at their chosen activity on arrival. Staff have developed warm, caring relationships with children. Children are motivated and eager to learn, and consistently show high levels of interest in their chosen activities.

Children freely explore the outdoor area and staff support them to take appropriate risks. For instance, children have very good opportunities to challenge their physical skills on the climbing frame and when negotiating the large tyres around the outdoor area. They enjoy learning new words and their meanings. For example, staff introduce new language when they talk to children about the names of the dinosaurs, as they hide bones and fossils in the sand. Children use paintbrushes to uncover them, and staff point out if they have found a fossil or a dinosaur bone. Staff skilfully incorporate mathematical language by discussing the size of the bones. Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve, which means all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress.

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

• Children with SEND are supported well. The staff team works closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children get the required levels of support they need. For example, the special educational needs coordinator ensures that the strategies and advice from professionals is incorporated into children's individual educational plans, and these are implemented to help children make progress.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Staff communicate with parents regarding their children's progress and next steps through an online system. Parents say they feel well informed, including throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and they can see the progress children have made within their learning and development. Staff have established good links with the local school to support children to move on to the next stage of their education.
• Staff make highly effective use of initiatives to extend children's communication and language development. Children have access to books and stories throughout the session. They come together as a group to enjoy stories. Staff use props to enhance stories and encourage children to join in with familiar words and phrases. Younger children and with a shorter attention span are supported by staff, and provided with specialist resources to help maintain their focus with the group story.
• The manager and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children share and take turns. Staff consistently praise children, which boosts their self-esteem. For example, they say 'good sitting' and 'well done' so children know what is expected of them. Staff make good use of visual aids to help communicate changes in the routine. They use a tambourine and provide a five-minute warning to allow children time to finish their activities when it is time to tidy up.
• Staff understand the importance of promoting children's physical development. They provide opportunities outdoors for children to plan and make an obstacle course from planks and tyres. Children develop their physical skills as they learn to balance and negotiate the course. They also go on walks in the local community with staff, and enjoy preparing a shopping list to take to the local supermarket.
• Children celebrate some festivals and events throughout the year. For example, they gain an understanding of the community where they live and community events. However, there is scope to enhance this further to help children understand diversity during their everyday play in the pre-school environment.
• The manager leads her team well. She has good systems in place to make sure staff develop their skills and knowledge. Staff have regular meetings where information from training is shared. Managers support staff to access different training opportunities, such as safeguarding and mandatory training. However, the managers' methods do not precisely focus on where staff need support, to raise the quality of teaching to a consistently high level.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• widen and extend the knowledge children have about people, families and communities outside their own
• increase the focus on staff's professional development to help to raise the quality of teaching even higher.