CADWA Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy spending time at this friendly and nurturing setting. They are happy and settled and demonstrate that they feel secure. Children have formed positive relationships with staff and their peers. They benefit from a range of interesting and stimulating activities. Children gain positive attitudes to learning. They are engrossed in learning as they use scissors to cut decorations to add onto their Father's Day cards.

Staff are knowledgeable, passionate and dedicated to their jobs. They prioritise developing children's communication and language skills. Children benefit from a plethora of meaningful, one-to-one conversations. Staff listen to children's ideas and thoughts attentively. Children discuss the names of the planets in the Solar System and what is special about them. They tell the inspector the names and features of dinosaurs as they complete dinosaur rubbings. All children, including children who speak English as an additional language and children with additional needs, make good progress in their learning.

Children behave well, and they are kind and caring to others. Children learn about different emotions. They tell staff how they are feeling when they arrive in the morning. Staff use puppets to act out different situations. This helps children gain an understanding of how others might be feeling.

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

• Staff know children well. They have a secure understanding of where children are up to in their development. Staff plan appropriate next steps in children's learning. They use children's interests to plan activities that excite children. This helps children gain a thirst for learning from an early age.
• Children benefit from copious opportunities to enhance their growing independence. They put their own aprons on and hang them up when they have finished playing in the water tray. Children pour their own drinks and clean the table after snack time. This helps children learn how to complete daily tasks by themselves.
• Children's behaviour is good. Staff provide consistently clear expectations to children. For example, children understand why they must walk when playing inside. This helps children understand and follow the rules of the setting well.
• Staff are positive role models. They treat children with the utmost respect. Staff teach children to share the toys and resources from an early age. On the rare occasions when disputes do occur, staff intervene quickly and effectively.
• Parents are complimentary about the setting. They comment on how children enjoy spending time here and praise staff for being 'professional'. Staff provide all parents with ideas they can use at home to further promote children's language skills. However, staff do not always liaise with other settings children attend. They do not share information about children's learning and development to provide further continuity in children's learning.
• Staff promote children's physical development well. Children ride around the outdoor area on ride-on toys and play parachute games. This helps to develop children's large-muscle movements. Children use plastic knives to cut fruit to make smoothies. They spread butter onto toast and crackers. This helps to develop children's small-muscle movements.
• Staff help children learn about diversity. They celebrate a range of festivals, including festivals that children celebrate at home. Children learn about other cultures. They go on regular walks around the local community. This helps children learn about people and communities that may be different to their own.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. The SENCo knows how to make timely referrals to outside agencies. This helps to ensure that children receive the right support. Staff use additional funding, such as early years pupil premium, effectively to meet the individual learning needs of children.
• Staff plan whole-group activities. For example, staff read stories, and children take part in whole-group discussions. However, sometimes, not all children benefit from these whole-group opportunities. This is because the learning is not always differentiated to meet the development needs of all children, especially for younger children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen relationships with other settings that children also attend in order to provide continuity in children's learning
• differentiate planned group activities effectively to meet the individual development needs of younger children.