Farlea Childcare (St. Marys)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at this vibrant and welcoming setting. They are greeted by the friendly team and quickly settle at activities with their friends. Children get to know all staff in the team and build positive relationships. This helps them to feel safe and happy. Children make choices about where they would like to play. They explore together with small-world resources, demonstrating good sharing as they chat and take turns with small figures. Staff are positive role models. They treat children with kindness and teach them the rules of the setting. As a result, children behave well and demonstrate care for others.

Children explore activities that help them to develop physically. They practise using tools to spread glue when making crowns, demonstrating excellent hand-eye coordination. Staff support children to negotiate beams and practice balancing as they walk along them. They offer reassurance and encouragement for children that are a little unsure. Children demonstrate pride in their achievements, and staff praise them for persevering.

Children take part in activities that support their understanding of how to live healthy lifestyles. They practise pouring their own water from a self-service station in the room. Children wash their hands before snack time and then take it in turns to select their own snack from a variety of fruits on offer. They use tongs to select orange segments and carry them back to their table on their plate. This helps children to develop confidence in being independent.

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

• Staff and managers have developed a curriculum that aims to teach children new skills through a variety of themed activities. They provide children with opportunities to explore resources that provoke awe and wonder. For instance, children learn about the three little pigs and practise building houses made out of straw, sticks and bricks. They go outside, and staff teach them how to blow through a straw like the big bad wolf to spread paint across the paper. Children delight in the colours and marks that they make.
• The development of communication and language is prioritised at this nursery. Staff spend time talking to children at their level and offer clear speech and repetition of language. Staff use assessment to identify children who require additional support and carry out appropriate interventions to enhance their communication and language development. Children enjoy using flash cards with their friends. They hold them up one at a time and ask each other what they can see. Staff provide assistance when children are unsure. This helps children to develop their vocabulary.
• Children attending this nursery make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff use observation and assessment to identify children's next steps. They use this information to plan activities that aim to target children's individual needs. Staff recognise the importance of children developing good scissor control. They provide opportunities for children to practise cutting different materials. For instance, they practise using scissors to cut spaghetti. They often demonstrate good techniques when cutting. However, staff do not always recognise how to adapt their teaching to extend children's learning even further.
• Staff and managers have developed positive partnerships with other agencies. They work closely with the on-site school nursery to support smooth transitions and share curriculum ideas. This helps them to maintain consistency for children that attend. Staff and managers share appropriate information about children's development as they prepare for their transition to school. This helps children to settle quickly when they move on to the next stage in their education.
• Parents speak positively about the setting and the progress that children make while attending. They are grateful to the staff for the help that they receive and the regular updates that are sent to them via an online portal. However, not all parents are aware of their child's key person. This means that they do not always know who to report to if they have questions or concerns about their child's development.
• Leaders and managers are committed to supporting staff through routine monitoring and supervision opportunities. New staff complete rigorous induction training to support their understanding of their role and responsibilities. They confidently evaluate practice and identify areas that require improvement. Leaders and managers encourage staff to attend additional training to extend their knowledge and skills. As a result, staff are happy and feel valued in the setting.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance teaching so that staff consistently provide further challenge to deepen and extend children's learning to the highest level
• build further on partnerships with parents to ensure all parents know who their children's key person is and understand their role in supporting continuity of care and learning.