Dunswell Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children quickly settle into their play with their friends and favourite resources when they arrive at the setting. Parents and carers know that their children are happy and look forward to attending. Staff greet children warmly and position themselves in areas where they can support children's play effectively. They work extremely well together. Staff know what they want children to learn and the core values they want children to develop. For example, they want children to be happy, have good values and know what is right and wrong. Staff can identify children's progress in their learning, such as when they recognise when children use a good pincer grip and show improvement in their fine motor skills.

Staff support older children to accurately count small groups of objects. Children tell their friends that they have 'five pieces of cheese' on their plate. They make independent choices, and staff encourage them to say 'please' and 'thank you' as they choose which snacks they would like. Children behave very well and show that they feel safe and secure. They follow established and simple routines. Children know and understand what is expected of them. Staff give them time to choose their own play and follow their interests. They always consider children's privacy. Staff very sensitively and discreetly attend to children's personal care. Older children who use the toilet know that they have to wait until other children have finished.

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

• Leaders and managers know and understand the strengths in their staff team and use these effectively. Staff feel well supported. They have regular opportunities to refresh their knowledge and skills through training and team meetings.
• Staff communicate with parents through newsletters, termly meetings and social media. However, staff have not considered how to collect parents' views further. For example, some parents comment that they would like more regular feedback about their children's experiences at the setting so that they have an even better understanding about their children's individual learning.
• Staff provide a mixture of support, guidance and teaching new skills when children use the equipment to develop their physical skills. Children use hoops and large shapes to step through, spin and roll. They throw and retrieve balls. Children walk along and balance on benches and individual balancing domes with and without staff's support.
• Sometimes, when children struggle to wait to use the resources they want, staff intervene too quickly. For instance, staff share resources out between children without considering how best they can support children to think about it first. This does not consistently help children to reflect on their own feelings and the feelings of others.
• Children have clear favourite resources, such as small figures and animals. Younger children use these in mathematical play as they fit toys into spaces and find out which ones are too big. Staff introduce new ideas, such as groups of objects. Staff show younger children where things belong and how they can play with new resources. This close support from staff helps to sustain older children's play in the same area.
• Staff support children's early literacy skills well. They model writing children's names on the rainbows they have made and talk about the letters they are writing. Staff extend children's vocabulary by adding words, such as 'juicy' and 'delicious', to conversations.
• Children show a great interest in new resources and use them carefully with staff's support. They pretend to collect food in their shopping baskets and take them to the till where the 'shopkeeper' scans them. Children ask their friends whose turn it is. They learn and use new words as they tell staff about the food items they pretend to buy.
• Staff consider children's safety at all times. When using other areas in the village hall, staff make sure that they always know how many children they have and that the doors are secure. When staff identify hazards in the outdoor playground, they close this area until essential maintenance work can take place. Leaders therefore identify opportunities to use the sports hall for large-scale activities to prioritise children's physical development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider how best to gain further feedback from parents, such as about how to enhance information-sharing with parents about their children's learning
• plan opportunities during children's play to help them to reflect and consider their own feelings and the feelings of others.