Children's Place Halifax

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this warm, accommodating setting. Staff respond well to children's needs and emotions, offering cuddles when children are upset. As a result, children settle quickly.

When children start at the setting, staff ensure that they find out what children already know and can do. This helps to ensure that children are well supported in their development and next steps. Where there are any concerns, skilled staff liaise effectively with outside agencies to ensure that children in need of additional support get the help they need. This, along with the nursery's effective use of any additional funding it receives, helps to ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make at least good progress.

Staff support children effectively to learn to regulate their behaviour. They use available space for one-to-one time, when needed. When playing alongside children, they encourage them to share, take turns and to join in. For example, as older children play in a boat, staff encourage others to get involved. Children make tickets so that others can get on board. This helps to ensure children feel involved.

Staff have a good awareness of how to keep children safe and recognise symptoms of abuse. They know the procedures to follow should they have any concerns.

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

• The curriculum is clear and well balanced for all ages. Staff have a good understanding of what they want children to learn and children are well supported in their development. For example, older babies are encouraged to drink from an open cup and eat from a plate rather than a bowl. This helps to prepare children for transitions into the next room.
• Staff engage effectively with children in their play, introducing new vocabulary and extending their learning. For example, when using a mud kitchen, staff talk about making pancakes and finding strawberries to go on them. This helps to develop children's imaginations.
• Children are confident, inquisitive learners. Staff respond eagerly to children's interests, which helps to engage children in learning. Older children, for example, express an interest in`glow in the dark' materials. Staff talk to them about this, following up with the promise of receiving glow sticks. Younger children bring books which staff enthusiastically read, using the pictures and vocabulary effectively to extend children's learning. While, overall, staff respond well to children's needs, occasionally, younger children spend too long sitting and waiting. This includes, for example, for a meal or during adult-led activities. This means that, sometimes, children's concentration is not maintained and some children become restless.
• Staff are good role models for children, encouraging the use of good manners and to talk respectfully. Children are polite and show respect for each other. Older children enjoy carrying out jobs, such as sweeping up. This gives them a sense of responsibility and helps to develop their independence. However, some opportunities to develop children's independence skills are overlooked. For example, at mealtimes, as toddlers eat rice, they do so using their fingers, pushing the rice onto a fork, rather than using a knife. Staff do not consistently model or support toddlers to learn how to use these utensils appropriately.
• Partnerships with parents are effective. Parents speak very passionately about the nursery and its staff, recognising how accommodating and supportive they are to them and their children. The nursery communicates well with parents, including ensuring they are kept well informed of their children's progress. Parents highly value the learning opportunities their children receive and acknowledge that their children make good progress.
• Leaders talk passionately about the improvements they have already made to the nursery and the extra learning opportunities offered to children as a result. Similarly, they are clear about the next steps they need to take to improve it even further. Staff appreciate the support that leaders offer. Leaders check how well staff deliver the curriculum. This helps to ensure that the quality of education provided is of a high standard. Leaders meet regularly with staff to ensure that their knowledge and understanding of safeguarding practices are up to date. Additional training is provided when needed.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• reduce the length of adult-led activities and waiting time in the baby room to ensure that children are not sitting for too long and lose concentration
• model and support toddlers in using utensils to enable them to use a knife and fork appropriately at mealtimes.