Crookhill Early Years

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are at the heart of everything this setting does. They are encouraged to be independent and learn to do things themselves. Children put on their own coats, hats and scarfs ready to play outside. They wash their own hands before lunch and snack. They are encouraged to tidy up, and put toys away. The environment has been carefully thought out so that children can access a range of resources independently. This includes activities, such as mixing their own paint and choosing their own creative materials. Older children who attend before and after school have the benefit of being able to play with a wide range of activities after a day at school. Younger children enjoy playing alongside their older friends.

Children are encouraged to be outdoors in all weathers. During the winter, they go sledging in the snow and explore ice which has frozen inside containers in the mud kitchen. They use mathematical language to describe the shape of the ice and then they count the number of pieces of ice once they crack it apart. With the support of inquisitive adults, they develop curiosity about the world around them. Through experiences, including forest school, they get to see deer, squirrels and foxes around the setting. They are excited to share these experiences with their families, telling them, 'that's where the foxes live'.

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

• Key persons and other staff in the nursery know children very well. They meet children through activities, such as home visits before they start, and get to know about their family backgrounds. This helps key workers to support children when they start and this helps children to quickly settle. Staff know where children are now in their development and what they are supporting children to learn next. Key workers of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities work very closely with external agencies, to ensure that their needs are fully understood and supported.
• Children develop a love of books and enjoy sharing them with adults and other children. They have access to a range of books, both indoors and outdoors, and have cosy places to snuggle up and read. They have books which make noises. This encourages children to share stories with each other. Children want to join in with listening to the sounds from books, saying 'do me, do me', so that they can hear the dinosaur noises too. They then 'roar' back at the dinosaur they see and hear, and laugh with each other. They pretend the dinosaur is going to eat them up saying 'yum, yum, yum, yum, yum', while moving the book around which has a picture of a tyrannosaurus rex.
• During whole-group teaching, children are encouraged to re-read stories which helps them to learn new language. Activities build well on children's prior knowledge, overall. For example, when reading a story of the gingerbread man children have fun trying to guess the ingredients that can be used to make gingerbread. However, at times, activities are not always appropriate for the youngest children and they find it difficult to maintain their interest.
• Staff support children who are confident speakers. A child enthusiastically tells the inspector, 'We've lost one, two, three eggs and I'm using my binoculars to find them.' The member of staff encourages the child to look for clues. The child replies saying, 'Ah ha, I've found some clues over here, on the floor.' However, very occasionally staff do not simplify their language to make the most of interactions with some children who are still in the early stages of developing their communication skills. This means some children's early communication and language skills are not always supported to the highest level.
• Relationships with parents are strong. Parents feel supported by the setting and say they, 'go above and beyond' and always put the children first. They feel staff are approachable and children of all ages really enjoy coming. Parents feel they are kept up to date with their child's development. This helps them to further support their children's learning at home. Parents say that children develop a, 'love of reading' which stays with them when they move on to school.
• The setting has excellent relationships with the on-site school. They share professional development and teachers from the school come into the setting to share good practice on how they teach in school. When children are preparing to move, teachers visit the children and get to know parents prior to children starting. This ensures that children have smooth transitions and are ready for the next stage in their education.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review group time activities and consider how to promote younger children's engagement and enjoyment to a higher level
• enhance even further staff's focus on children's early language development, to ensure that all children make the best possible progress in their communication skills.