East Coker Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a warm welcome from staff when they arrive. Staff provide close support to help reassure less settled children to manage the change in activities throughout the day, and to help them feel secure. For example, they obtain family photographs to look at with children and use picture time lines for changing activities. Children move around freely between the indoor playrooms and garden where they explore and lead their own play confidently. They use their imaginations well building large models and exploring creative materials. Children learn to cooperate and work well together in play, such as building slides with guttering pipes to roll toys down.

Staff deliver a balanced curriculum to support and encourage children's learning. This includes topical activities and outings to enhance their experiences. For example, children meet an animal carer with piglets to learn about their community. Staff provide good role models who help children to develop positive attitudes and behaviour. They provide clear expectations, and individual strategies to support each child's developmental needs. Children use good manners, listen and learn to share with others. They learn to keep themselves and others safe, such as handling scissors safely.

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

• Staff know the children well. They assess their development from the start, and plan focused learning goals for each child as they progress. Staff interact with enthusiasm to support children's learning and to help them reach their developmental goals. However, on occasions, they miss opportunities to build further on some older children's learning, such as encouraging them to solve practical problems.
• Children develop good skills to support their transition to school. They learn to recognise their own names, to count and learn to manage tasks efficiently for themselves to develop their independence and self-confidence. For example, they change their shoes, put on their coats, and learn to manage fastenings.
• Children develop healthy lifestyles. They practise good hand-washing routines and learn how to blow their noses hygienically. Children enjoy healthy foods at mealtimes and benefit from regular active play to encourage their physical development.
• Staff respect and value children's interests and choices in play and join in to help keep them engaged. For example, children engage for long periods exploring the texture of dough and using tools with staff to flatten, cut and model with. Staff adapt activities well to meet children's individual needs, such as adjusting the seating arrangements in whole-group activities to include and involve all children equally.
• Staff help children to develop their communication and language skills. Children learn new words through stories, topical activities and singing. They benefit from one-to-one and small group activities to help enhance their understanding and speech.
• Staff work closely with external professionals to support children's additional needs. They keep parents informed of their children's progress through daily communication and termly meetings. However, parents are not consistently informed of the changes to their children's learning goals throughout the term as they progress, to support their development further at home.
• The manager has a good oversight of the provision. She and staff evaluate the quality of care provided and identify meaningful areas for development to improve children's experiences in the setting. The manager and staff use any additional funding for children in order to have the most impact on their learning.
• Leaders follow robust vetting procedures to help ensure all staff are suitable to care for children. Staff have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. This includes the risks to children and procedures to follow in the event of any concerns about a child or adult.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff interactions with children to provide older children with greater challenges to build even further on their learning
• strengthen partnerships with parents further, to keep parents informed of their children's progress more closely.