Embrace Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children's personal development and well-being are at the heart of this setting. Staff provide a warm and positive welcome to each child, which helps children to settle quickly and to feel safe. Staff are sensitive to children's emotions. They ask how children are feeling and use images to help children to communicate their emotions. On the rare occasion that children do become upset, they receive reassuring hugs from the kind and nurturing staff. Children have built good relationships with each other. They hold hands with their friends as they dance together and give each other a cuddle as they say goodbye. Children are confident, happy and feel secure in this setting.

Children's knowledge of the world around them is enriched through the learning experiences that the setting provides. Children excitedly collect sticks and leaves outside and use their imagination as they use these items to make 'soup'. Staff provide many opportunities for children to go on outings, such as nature walks or trips to the theatre. This varied curriculum broadens children's experiences and gives them the knowledge that they will need to succeed in later life.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They have embedded clear routines and support children to follow instructions. Staff sing songs and dance as they tidy away the toys and incorporate fun games into the lining up routine. They use a range of strategies to engage children in their learning and to support them to focus for extended periods of time. Children are developing positive attitudes to learning.

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

• The manager and staff are passionate about providing an inclusive environment. They work closely with parents, other settings that children attend and specialist professionals. They seek advice to ensure that children receive the tailored support they need to flourish. Staff liaise with parents as they carefully consider how to use additional funding to meet the needs of individual children. The needs of all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those in receipt of additional funding, are met.
• Children are immersed in a language-rich environment. They enjoy hearing staff singing songs as they play, and confidently join in with the words. Staff have meaningful conversations with children and explore the meaning of the new vocabulary that they introduce. Staff ensure that children become familiar with a range of books. Children delight in copying the repeated phrases that they have heard in stories. Children remember what they have been taught and make good progress.
• Staff promote children's physical health. They encourage children to be physically active and to eat a healthy diet. Children enjoy using their strength to swing and climb outside, and enthusiastically dance with their friends. Staff teach children how to keep themselves healthy by washing their hands thoroughly before eating. Children are developing their knowledge of how to keep themselves healthy.
• Parents speak highly of this home-from-home setting. They state that they receive detailed feedback about their children's progress and are given advice about how to extend their children's learning at home. Parents particularly appreciate the regular communication that is in place between this setting and other settings that their children attend. Parents say that their children have made good progress since attending this setting.
• In the main, staff ensure that their interactions with children are of a high quality and that they focus on promoting children's learning and development. Staff encourage children to apply what they have been taught. For example, following a discussion about the shape of a star, children can be heard later saying 'up, down, up down' as they make star shape marks with the paint. However, at times, staff do not closely consider what children need to learn next as they implement activities. This means that, on occasions, there are minor inconsistencies in the quality of education.
• Overall, children are engaged in purposeful learning experiences throughout their day. They independently access a range of stimulating activities and are supported by staff to extend their play ideas. However, on occasions during lunchtime and transition points, staff do not always ensure that children's learning and engagement are promoted consistently. As a result, at these times, some children become distracted and lose focus.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consider more precisely what children need to learn next to ensure consistency in the quality of education
• review the organisation of lunchtime and transitions throughout the day to ensure that children remain consistently engaged in their play and learning.