Childcare@sandal

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders have worked hard since the last inspection to ensure that they implement a curriculum that helps children to build on what they already know and can do. Learning is sequenced and helps children to learn new skills and knowledge as well as practise their developing skills. The key person system has been strengthened to ensure that all staff know children's needs and what they are learning next. This ensures that, even if a child's key person is not present, children receive continuity of care and learning so that they continue to make good progress. Staff build positive and nurturing relationships with all children so that feel safe and secure.

Staff help children to be ready for school. They teach them what is expected of them and to be independent. Children learn how to socialise and make friends. By the time children go to school, they can communicate their needs and follow instructions. Staff teach children what is expected of them. They encourage them to share and to be kind to each other. When children occasionally struggle with their emotions, staff know when to intervene sensitively to help them. They talk about feelings during play and while reading books. Children learn how to recognise and manage their own feelings.

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

• Staff support children to develop a love of books form an early age. approach staff with their favourite books and clap when staff say, 'shall we read'. Pre-school children learn about the different parts of the book, such as, the spine and the front and back covers. They learn to take care of their books.
• Children develop their fine motor skills. Staff provide opportunities for them to do this. They use sponges and stamps to make pictures in the baby room. Later, children use chunky crayons to make marks and older children use a wide range of mark making tools. This helps them to prepare for later writing skills.
• Pre-school children enjoy taking part in yoga sessions that are themed around their interests. This helps their physical development and understanding of how their bodies work. Children practise balancing and they follow the lead of the staff member watching them closely and following instructions.
• Staff model learning for children as they demonstrate how to use tools with the dough. This helps children to learn new skills and develop their confidence to try for themselves.
• Children learn how to build positive relationships with each other. They approach each other and smile and puts their arms out. Staff encourage them to say hello. By the time they are ready to leave to move onto the next stage in their learning they know their friend names and can point them out.
• Managers evaluate practice well. They recognise where staff need more support or training to help them to develop their own skills and knowledge. For example, they identify that children need more opportunities to develop their critical thinking skills and for staff to inspire awe and wonder in children.
• Staff know the children well. The key person system is effective to ensure all staff can meet all children's needs. They focus on the individual skills that they want children to learn so that they continue to make good progress. However, relationships with parents are not yet fully developed to enable staff to find out about children's past experiences or to support learning at home.
• Staff have opportunities to discuss their development as a team. Individual coaching and mentoring have begun to help staff even further. However, this is not yet embedded to ensure the consistency of good quality teaching across all age groups.
• Managers support staff wellbeing by ensuring that they have the support they need when they need it. This helps staff to have positive attitudes towards their work which in turn helps them to interact with children in a warm and positive way.
• Managers ensure that staff have good support to help them to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), so that all children make good progress from their starting points.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to develop individual coaching and supervision arrangements for all staff to strengthen practise and ensure consistency across the whole team
• strengthen communication and partnerships with parents so that they can support their children's learning even further at home.