Cherry Blossom Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children's unique experiences begin with the journey to the setting. Some come by conventional means, such as walking, car or bicycle, and others get to travel by boat from neighbouring islands. All staff provide children with a warm welcome and listen intently as children speak. Children excitedly tell staff whether they have come on the jet boat or the slow boat and settle quickly into the setting.

The manager has an ambitious curriculum that supports children's emotional development brilliantly. Children are confident, curious learners who are keen to explore. They make exceptional progress in their development and enjoy discovering new skills.

Children thrive in this nurturing environment. Staff are reactive to children's needs. They use positive praise and encouragement superbly. Children respond well, knowing that staff will notice and reward their efforts. For example, younger children receive verbal support to keep trying as they climb up wooden steps in the outdoor area. They smile broadly when they get to the top and receive enthusiastic claps and praise from staff. Older children keep trying as they sequence numbers on circles. Staff offer suggestions about what might come next by using their fingers and modelling counting. Children persevere until they are correct. Staff and children celebrate the success. Children are keen to repeat the activities.

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

• Since opening, the manager has strived to ensure that children receive high-quality care and education. She has staff with terrific teaching skills. Some staff have excellent backgrounds in supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff training is a priority to make sure that they can support children to develop resilience and the motivation to learn and develop. The manager arranges for training to be delivered by professionals on the island as well as guest trainers from the mainland. All staff, including those new to the setting, develop excellent teaching skills. They provide highly engaging activities that children are eager to take part in.
• Partnership with parents and other professionals is a big strength. Parents comment that staff have been terrific throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They say that staff go above and beyond for the families and children, for example by sourcing funding to help children travel to the setting from outlying islands, allowing for extra staff and providing specific activities to ensure that all children make the best possible progress. The manager and special educational needs coordinator work with parents and other professionals to help make the move on to school as easy as possible. They make sure that families and children get to meet new teachers and visit the school. They have made sure that this support will continue throughout the summer break. Children become very familiar with the new building. They are extremely well prepared for moving on.
• Staff know children intimately. They understand what children know and what they need to learn next. They use children's interests well to plan activities that engage and motivate children. For example, staff use babies' and young children's interest in sensory play to extend learning. Staff fill a tray with cornflour and water. Then they add coloured ice cubes and join in with children as they discover what happens. Children are fascinated as the ice melts and the colours stay on the surface of the liquid. Staff encourage children to explore. They skilfully pose challenges, ask questions and model learning. Children experiment using different tools and their fingers to create shapes, letters and patterns. Staff ask children to find different colours and children pick out red, blue and yellow. Children concentrate for extended periods and are enthusiastic learners.
• Pre-school children join in enthusiastically with a minibeast hunt. They use the picture clues to talk about what they might find. Children recall the features of the different insects. They count the legs on different insects. They talk about the slugs using slime to help them slide along the ground. They cooperate well and take turns moving grasses, leaves and wood logs to see what they can find. Staff deal with disagreements innovatively. They model being curious about what they can see through magnifying glasses. This encourages children who are reluctant to share to let others join in.