Buttercups at Acton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are well cared for in a secure and welcoming environment by attentive staff, who know them well. This helps children to feel safe and settle in quickly on arrival. Children form positive relationships with staff and their friends. They are are respectful to one another. Children behave well, and share space and resources happily. Older children gain good problem-solving skills. They can deal with conflicts with minimal help from staff, who encourage them to think and agree on solutions on their own. Children know what is expected of them. They follow the rules, such as helping to tidy-up toys after activities. This helps then to gain a sense of responsibility.

Children benefit from a wide range of exciting play opportunities, which helps them to make good progress. They have easy access to high-quality resources that are well presented in the learning areas. This helps to support children's growing independence and motivate them to learn. Children show positive attitudes towards their learning and persist in activities based on their interests. For example, pre-school children learn about planets, stars and space. They gain an understanding of why we have day and night, and engage in discussions about the work of astronauts. Leaders design a curriculum based on children's interests and what they want them to learn next. Staff have high expectations of all children.

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

• Staff place a high priority on children's physical health. They teach children about healthy lifestyles, including the benefit of eating a balanced diet and exercise. Babies explore fruits and vegetables through their senses. Toddlers learn to cut the fruits for snack time and learn about the benefits of vitamins. Children join in vigorous physical activities and discuss the effect that these have on their bodies. Children benefit from outdoor yoga sessions as they stretch and balance, as well as focus on their breathing. All children learn about the importance of drinking water to stay hydrated.
• Leaders and staff are ambitious for all children. They have a clear intent of what they want children to learn. Overall, staff implement the curriculum and sequence children's learning well. For example, staff provide a variety of opportunities for children to strengthen their small muscles through messy play and mark making. This prepares them well for the next stages of their learning, including early writing.
• Children develop an interest in books. Staff engage children as they read familiar stories. They support children to extend their vocabulary. Staff introduce new words that link to children interests in dinosaurs, such as 'carnivore' and 'herbivore'. They take time to explain what these new words mean. Overall, staff engage in meaningful conversations with children.
• Long-serving and skilled staff role model high-quality teaching and interactions. However, at times, staff are not deployed as effectively as possible. For example, in the ladybird room, a new apprentice works with a staff member, who is regularly based in the provider's different setting. Consequently, staff are not fully familiar with the learning needs of children in this room.
• Occasionally, staff in the ladybird room do not build on what children have said and done, or ask too many closed questions. Additionally, at times, staff do not give enough time for children to think of their response. This has an impact on the quality of interactions in this room and children's learning is not always maximised as much as possible.
• Staff feel supported by leaders and speak about their ongoing professional development. For example, staff have attended numerous courses, such as around managing children's behaviour. This has led to improvements in this area. Staff consistently follow strategies to help children to self-regulate their behaviour.
• Staff work well with parents to ensure continuity in children's learning at home. Parents speak highly of the setting and the care that their children receive. Staff have formed relationships with local schools. They share information to help provide smooth transitions for all children on to their next stage of their learning.
• Children's mathematical knowledge is supported well. For example, children regularly count objects and actions accurately. Older children match quantities to numerals.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• deploy staff, so that all children benefit from high-quality interactions
• support all staff to develop their questioning techniques and give children time to respond, to maximise children's learning.