Charlton & District Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly welcomed on arrival. They settle quickly and enjoy their time at the pre-school. Staff provide extra support for children who need it on arrival to help them settle and engage in their play and learning successfully. Children make their own decisions and engage positively with the resources and activities they choose. For instance, children maintained a strong interest in making junk models and creating dough insects.

Staff guide children's behaviour with careful consideration. They speak to children calmly and at their level to explore why behaviours are not appropriate. Staff also identify children's positive behaviours, which they praise and encourage. Children develop good friendships with each other and build trusting relationships with staff. Staff know their key children's needs and the support they need very well.

Staff have implemented a curriculum that is securely based on the learning needs of children. There is a strong emphasis on developing children's language and social skills. There are clear processes to identify any gaps in children's learning. Staff promptly respond to these, including implementing individual educational plans and behaviour plans when appropriate. They work closely with parents and any other professionals involved to provide a consistent approach to supporting children's needs. Overall, staff provide effective practice and support to meet children's needs.

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

• Staff have a secure understanding of the skills and knowledge that children need to gain over time. They use assessments and observations effectively to understand children's progress and what they need to learn next. Staff provide well-thought-out small-group sessions to promote children's speech and language development, their concentration skills, and to explore feelings and emotions. These sessions help to close gaps in children's development successfully. Children progress well and become ready for their next stage in learning.
• Staff provide positive interactions with children. They engage in play and activities, which include ongoing discussions with children. For instance, staff encourage children to recall their knowledge, such as naming parts of fruit and how to care for plants. At times, staff ask children questions in quick succession, and sometimes questions are too easy for some children to answer. This does not always promote children's thinking skills as well as possible.
• The leaders of the pre-school have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They have a clear oversight of the pre-school provision. Staff feel they are supported well. They have some opportunities for training and professional development. Staff have regular meetings and receive feedback about their work. The new staff team works closely together. Overall, leaders recognise that there are occasional differences in staff's knowledge, understanding and practice. They are working towards developing consistency to help raise the overall quality of the provision further.
• Staff support children to follow simple instructions and expectations. For instance, they use visual timetables and pictures with children alongside verbal requests to help them to understand what is expected. This helps children respond to staff's requests, for example to stand still and 'wriggle their fingers' when there is a change of routine or to line up to go indoors from the garden.
• Staff promote children's awareness of healthy lifestyles well. Children benefit from discussions about healthy choices along with gardening activities to grow fruit and vegetables. This helps children build on their understanding of eating well. Staff build on children's awareness of good hygiene, such as washing their hands before eating. Children develop their independence securely, including making choices from healthy snacks and learning to manage their self-care needs.
• Staff provide plenty of opportunities for children to be physically active indoors and outdoors. Children develop their small- and large-muscle skills securely. For example, they develop strength in their hands through using dough and digging in sand. They build on their balance and coordination using equipment, such as stepping stones and balls.
• There are strong partnerships with parents and carers. Staff provide parents with a wide range of information to support children's continued learning. For instance, they provide activities and books for parents to use at home. Parents speak highly about the pre-school and staff and about the support they and their children receive.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the approach to asking questions so that these are matched more accurately to children's needs and help them to develop their thinking skills further
• build further on the development of the staff team to help enhance the consistency of practice to promote children's needs even more effectively.