Chalvey Grove Children's Centre Early Years Service

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The friendly staff take the time to greet children when they arrive, helping them to separate from their parents and carers with ease. Managers and staff provide a welcoming and interesting environment with a good range of resources and activities to motivate children to explore. Toddlers' laughter fills the air as they play with the sand and water outside. Staff know children well. They give priority to children's emotional well-being. Staff spend time getting to know children and their families during the settling-in period. Children develop secure bonds with staff, helping them to feel safe at this nurturing setting. Older children learn to be independent and confident in their preparation for starting school. Staff communicate well with parents to find out about each child before they start at the setting. This helps them to provide continuity of care and supports children to feel secure. Staff encourage children to develop a 'can-do' attitude. For instance, they are determined to learn how to use the safety knives when chopping fruit. Children persevere until they have achieved what they have set out to do. These positive attitudes help children with the next steps in their learning.

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

• Children have lots of opportunities to have fresh air and exercise, and staff support children's physical development well. Children enjoy being outside playing with their friends, and staff skilfully involve children in activities to build on their physical skills. For instance, staff lead activities to encourage children to ride in the push-along cars and to build sandcastles, digging sand. Younger children enjoy feeling the sand between their fingers and practising their walking skills as they navigate around, pushing toy buggies.
• Children benefit from the nursery's good links to external agencies. Staff support parents to seek advice from other professionals. Staff work closely with parents and the schools that children will be moving on to. This ensures that there is a consistent approach to supporting all children's needs.
• The managers and staff plan a curriculum that focuses on preparing children for their future learning. They provide activities to support children's small-muscle skills. For example, children squeeze, poke and knead play dough. They strengthen their fingers as they manipulate the dough. This helps children to develop the skills they need to, for example, hold a pencil and pour their own drinks.
• The managers and staff work effectively as a team. They have regular meetings to discuss the curriculum and the needs of the children. The setting ensures that staff access ongoing, meaningful professional development opportunities. This includes making sure that staff receive mandatory training and are clear about the setting's policies and procedures. Staff use what they learn to enhance their practice and to develop aspects of the curriculum.
• Staff support children's language skills well. They get down to the children's level to talk to them and make eye contact. Staff converse with older children and explain the meaning of new words, such as 'kneading', to young children.
• The managers and staff develop good relationships with parents. Parents receive regular updates about their children's achievements. Key staff work closely with parents to support and extend children's learning at home. Parents describe the staff as 'kind' and say that their children enjoy attending.
• Overall, children behave well. Staff act as positive role models, and rules are in place, such as being kind to others and treating others with respect. However, when children display unwanted behaviour, staff are not consistent in explaining why this is not acceptable. This means children do not always understand why they cannot do things and, consequently, despite being told no, they continue.
• The managers and staff team have a good understanding of their safeguarding procedures. They complete regular risk assessments and ensure the environment is safe and secure for all children who attend.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to be consistent in their behaviour management strategies to support children to learn why their unwanted behaviour is not acceptable.