Fairlight Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a warm welcome from staff when they arrive. They are excited to see their friends and to start playing with the inviting activities. Less confident children are sensitively supported by their key person to choose what they would like to play with.

Children enjoy being with each other and playing together. They readily share resources and patiently wait for their turn. This is seen when children happily play a 'hook-a-duck' activity together in the garden. Staff give consistent messages about the high expectations of children's behaviour, which supports children to behave well.

Staff provide a range of activities to help children successfully develop their physical skills. For example, children practise their balancing and coordination as they move from one stepping stone to another. Older children refine their hand strength and pincer grip, such as when they secure strips of plastic together with small nuts and bolts. This prepares them well for later learning.

Children successfully learn about the world they live in. For example, they enjoy a range of visits, such as to the library and a local farm. This helps children to understand about the local community. Furthermore, staff talk to children about equality and diversity, which helps children to learn about and respect others.

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

• Parent partnerships are strong. Staff keep parents up to date with their child's progress and share ideas to help them extend their child's learning at home. For example, parents have received an information leaflet on how to promote good oral health for their children. Parents are extremely happy with the care their children receive. They comment on how the passionate and friendly staff create a welcoming and homely environment for children.
• Staff plan some useful opportunities for children to develop their self-help skills, such as putting on their own boots to play outside. However, this is not always consistent and sometimes staff do not fully promote children's independence. For example, at times, they do simple tasks for children rather than encouraging them to try for themselves.
• Staff have a good understanding of how children learn. They plan inclusive activities that can be accessed by children of all ages. For example, the youngest and oldest children spend a long time serving customers in the role play cafe. However, sometimes whole group activities do not meet the learning needs of younger children. For instance, these activities are sometimes too complex and younger children therefore lose interest and play with other toys.
• Staff know the children in their care well. The effective key person system successfully supports staff to form strong bonds with children. This promotes children's emotional well-being.
• Children are supported well by staff with transitions, which helps children to adapt well to change. For instance, settling in processes are flexible and tailored to meet the individual needs of children. Additionally, staff effectively promote children's confidence, which prepares them well for school.
• Staff help children to learn how to recognise their feeling and emotions. They talk to children about the expectations of behaviour, such as using 'kind hands' and 'kind words'. This helps children to understand about rules and boundaries.
• Staff are good role models and respectful to children and each other. They gently remind children to say please and thank you at appropriate times. This helps children to be polite and well-mannered. Additionally, staff listen carefully to what children say, which positively promotes children's self-esteem.
• Staff feel supported well by managers and feel a valued part of the team. They are given lots of opportunities to complete training to ensure their skills and knowledge are up to date. This has a positive impact on children's progress. For example, staff have completed training on sign language, which helps children to communicate their needs.
• Staff provide a safe and secure environment. They complete thorough risk assessments to help identify and reduce potential risks to children. Furthermore, leaders implement robust recruitment processes, which helps ensure adults are suitable to work with children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop a more consistent approach to promoting children's self-help and independence skills even further
• improve planning for group activities to ensure they meet the learning needs of all children, particularly the youngest.