Creative Hands Childcare Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children in the pre-school room understand staff's expectations of their behaviour. They say that during group times they need to do good looking, use their listening ears and keep their hands to themselves. Children are encouraged to be independent. For example, staff ask children in the baby room to close gates behind them. In the pre-school room, children use cutlery to eat, pour their own drinks and take their plates to the cook when they have finished eating. Children learn how to use knives safely before they use these to cut fruit. For example, staff explain which is the cutting edge of the knife and which edge is to hold onto.

Children in the toddler room have opportunities to self-regulate and learn to listen and follow instructions. One example of this is when they copy staff to make yoga poses with their bodies. Children follow staff's instructions and are excited to stretch their bodies to pretend to be cats. They say 'namaste' when they have finished. Children are supported to learn how to use equipment. Outside, in the forest area, pre-school children are provided with hand-over-hand support to understand how to use a ride on digger. Children are supported to think about where to move their arms and hands to make the equipment pick up stones.

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

• The manager and staff reflect on the experiences they offer children. Recent changes impact positively on allowing children in the baby room to follow their interests. This includes moving large climbing equipment nearer the window to allow them to independently watch ducks outdoors.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well by the manager and staff. For example, staff put targets in place and implement these to help children progress. Staff take children for several visits to the school they will move on to, allowing them to become familiar with the environment and teachers.
• The manager uses additional funding that some children receive to help meet their individual needs. This includes enhancing staff ratios to provide one-to-one support for children's learning.
• Overall, staff support children's speaking skills well. For example, in the baby room, staff sing nursery rhymes to children. However, not all children who speak English as an additional language receive the same level of support for their language skills. For example, staff do not use all children's home language to help support their understanding.
• The manager and staff focus the curriculum in the toddler room to build on children's social and emotional development. Staff attend training courses to extend their knowledge of how to help children to manage their behaviour. This includes developing interactions with children to encourage them to understand their feelings without being overwhelmed.
• Staff work in partnership with parents to support children's development. For example, staff share with parents how they can help their children's learning at home. This includes building on children's speaking skills and following the same behaviour management strategies as staff, to help provide consistency for children.
• The manager and staff place a strong focus on supporting children to understand about nutritious foods and how fruit and vegetables grow. For example, in the pre-school room, they encourage children to smell, taste and learn about different fruits. Staff show children how to use these fruits in baking activities, helping them learn how to prepare meals.
• Children are keen to join activities staff plan for them. However, occasionally in the baby room, staff do not fully consider the abilities of the children when they plan activities to enable them to build on their learning. For example, they want children to learn how to use plastic safety scissors instead of helping them develop the skills they will need to be able to do this.
• Staff say that they feel very supported by the manager with their well-being. The manager provides opportunities for staff to progress in their job roles. For example, she offers them training courses to attend when they want to become room leaders. This helps staff to feel confident in their roles to support their colleagues.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to be consistent in the ways they support all children who speak English as an additional language with their language development
• help staff in the baby room to reflect on the intent for planned activities, so these are more suitable for children's abilities.