Chestnut Grove Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The manager and provider have a clear understanding about how to support children's communication skills. Staff teach children new signs, such as 'please', 'thank you' and 'finished', and these are shared with parents to enable children's needs to be understood consistently. Staff are seen introducing new words to children, such as 'squeeze' and 'sprinkle'. Older children are encouraged to make vocal requests to develop their speech and language further.

Children's personal, social and emotional development is well supported by staff. They use persona dolls to allow children to look at different family circumstances. Staff use these dolls to support children with learning how to express themselves and discuss any worries or concerns they may have, particularly when experiencing any changes at home. This has enabled children to understand how they are feeling and seek support. Staff have created strong bonds with children, who actively seek interaction and laugh when playing games together, such as hide and seek.

The manager and provider have a strong understanding of the community needs and how to support the families. They support home learning through providing activity ideas and resources such as play dough and cress seeds. The manager and provider actively engage with parents through workshops. For example, they invite parents to observe staff interactions with children so that they can support interactions at home, to further extend children's experiences.

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

• Children are provided with warm interactions from staff. Staff tickle and provide praise and encouragement, which results in children laughing and smiling, having a positive experience. They often seek more interaction with staff, showing they have created strong bonds.
• Children in the pre-school room play collaboratively together. They are heard asking each other, 'Will you play with me?' Children share and take turns with each other. Children are highly engaged with the resources they have on offer and use their imagination to create new role-play scenarios.
• Staff are aware of children's needs and know the children well. They make good progress and work together with parents to discuss progress and next steps.
• Parents speak highly of the staff. They feel very supported by staff and receive regular feedback about what their child is learning and what they will be focusing on to support development further. Parents comment on how well their children have progressed, particularly in speech and language development, since starting the setting.
• Children's fine motor skills are promoted throughout the setting through a range of activities, such as play dough and threading. However, children in the baby room have too few opportunities to develop their climbing skills.
• The children have a 'Travelling Ted', and they can take this teddy on any adventure they may take part in. Children take the teddy on holiday, and they bring some photos back to discuss with the other children where 'Travelling Ted' has been. This enables children to gain an understanding of the wider world and sparks conversation about differences in the world.
• Recently, staff have taught children about the life cycles of some animals. For example, children watched caterpillars and frogs change over time. This became a real interest for children, and they were able to learn new language and enjoy new experiences.
• Children learn about different cultures around the world. Together, they look at different cultures and celebrations and have currently been learning about Black History Month and Diwali. This has encouraged children to think about different cultures and how they are unique.
• Two- to three-year-old children are encouraged to be independent. They pour their own drinks and pull up their sleeves ready to wash their hands. However, this development of independence is not consistently promoted across other rooms.
• Staff comment on how they feel very well supported in the setting with regards to their well-being. They have a 'well-being champion', who staff can seek guidance and support from at any time.
• There is a strong training programme in place to ensure all staff access training and are reflective of their practice. Staff practice is often observed to ensure teaching is to a high standard. Staff have recently attended speech and language training, which has had a positive impact on the teaching strategies used and outcomes for children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more opportunities in the baby room to develop children's climbing skills
• increase opportunities for children to develop their independence, particularly in the pre-school room.