Dream Catchers Play School North End

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children gleefully say 'good morning' to their friends as they arrive. Staff offer a warm and friendly welcome. Children quickly engage in activities. For example, they enjoy exploring a toy pirate ship and talk about sailing it to Australia. Staff build kind and nurturing relationships with children. They offer cuddles and reassurance to children who are still settling in.

Staff build on children's current interests as they plan exciting group learning activities. For example, they introduce dinosaurs in soil in the outside area. This aims to encourage younger children to explore their senses and interact with their friends. Children stomp the dinosaurs with joy, and staff encourage them to take turns fairly. Staff offer praise and encouragement as children confidently count to 10. Staff promote children's positive attitudes to learning.

Leaders develop a curriculum that provides children with the knowledge they need for school. For example, staff regularly build on children's interest in books. Children become immersed in their favourite stories as staff read with them enthusiastically. Children use props and engage fully with the experience. Children build early literacy skills.

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

• Staff build on children's developing language. Together they sit down at circle time and engage in conversations. Children demonstrate their knowledge as they talk about the day of the week and the month of the year. Staff encourage children's confidence as they talk about exciting occasions, such as birthdays. Children become confident communicators.
• Children have plenty of opportunities to be physically active in their play. For example, they giggle with delight as they confidently use bicycles in the outdoor play area. Staff build on children's interests. They provide them with balls and they practise throwing and catching them together. Children engage excitedly with their learning.
• Staff use their knowledge of children to plan activities. For example, they prepare games to support groups of children to develop counting skills. However, at times, activities are not planned accurately enough to support each child's individual stage of learning. This means that occasionally teaching does not consistently build on what children already know and can do.
• Children behave well. They confidently explain the 'golden rules' that they must follow throughout the day. Staff support their understanding further by providing positive reminders. Children learn the importance of boundaries and have a clear understanding of why certain rules are in place.
• Leaders implement learning activities that increase children's awareness of the world around them. For example, they prepare trips where children visit aquariums and animal parks in the local community. Staff use these activities to enrich children's learning. Children benefit from a broad range of experiences.
• Children learn about the importance of managing their own hygiene needs. For example, they know to wash their own hands before eating. Leaders construct an environment that intends to foster children's independence skills. However, at times, staff do not always make good use of these opportunities and they occasionally complete tasks that children could do themselves. This means that staff do not consistently build and develop children's independence skills.
• Staff speak highly of the training and support they receive from leaders. They explain that they regularly engage in meaningful supervision sessions. Leaders provide staff with access to training that follows their interests and also focuses on areas they need to know more about. Staff feel valued and know their professional development is fully supported.
• Parent partnerships are strong. Parents describe the good relationships they have with children's key persons and how they are kept informed about their children's progress. For example, staff provide parents with updates and involve them in children's learning, such as suggesting games to try at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen planning for children's individual stages of development to consistently build their knowledge and skills
• make use of opportunities for children to further increase their independence skills.