Comeytrowe Under Five Group

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled and have strong, nurturing relationships with their key person. Staff know children very well and plan the ambitious curriculum based on their next steps in learning alongside their specific interests. Staff identify if a child may need additional support from the outset, and they work very well with families and external agencies to ensure that the child makes good progress. Children make good progress in their learning and development.

Children demonstrate high levels of engagement and enjoyment from the wide range of activities on offer. Activities are very enticing and specifically target the development of communication and language skills. For example, some activities have books that accompany them to facilitate conversation and the promotion and enjoyment of reading. The love of reading is given high regard. All children have their own book bag and take home books from the setting to share with their families.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and children are well behaved. Children are encouraged to be independent. For example, the youngest children quickly learn to take responsibility for their personal belongings and collect their lunch box and water bottle at lunchtime. Older children are prepared for starting school. For example, the setting, in partnership with a local school, has identified curriculum goals they aim for the children to achieve in readiness for starting school. Older children demonstrate a keen interest in letters and sounds and staff carefully nurture this, facilitating them in making marks in their play.

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

• The setting provides a wealth of experiences via external services and the local community. For example, the children attend forest school at the local primary school and have musical sessions weekly. They also invite visitors into the setting to support children in their understanding of people's roles. For instance, they recently had a visit from the police community support officer.
• Children have a variety of opportunities to support their physical development skills. This is facilitated by the activities and resources the children have in the setting as well as the sports coach, who delivers regular lessons. Children who need additional support in this area are provided with personalised sessions to develop their skills.
• Parents are very positive about the excellent partnerships established with them. They describe the good care and support that is afforded to the children and themselves to ensure that children make good progress. Parents describe the setting as 'nurturing', and comment that children are treated as individuals.
• Communication with parents is very good. Meetings are held soon after a child starts at the setting, to review how well the child has settled in. Further meetings are then held every half term to review the child's progress. Parents are also regularly informed of their child's learning and development via an online platform.
• The promotion of respect for cultural diversity is supported via key texts, resources and activities. Differences and similarities between children and families are celebrated. For example, a large display features a well-known character and their adventures around the world. Children discuss countries they are from or have visited. Parents are invited into the setting to share learning about their culture. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported in learning English through the use of picture cards and dual-language books.
• Books, stories and rhymes are used well. Children enjoy making choices about which songs they sing, and they listen to stories which support their understanding of new words, such as 'pitching'. Staff engage in meaningful conversations with the children and expose them to unfamiliar words, such as 'cunning'. However, staff do not always support children with their listening and attention skills as promptly as they could. As a result, some children do not always engage from the start of an activity.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure staff promptly support children with their listening and attention skills during focused activities.