Fledglings Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at this welcoming playgroup. They easily separate from their parents to join their friends in play. Children show they feel at home as they enthusiastically acknowledge each other during carpet time.

Overall, staff provide a calm and nurturing environment for children to play and learn in. Children show they feel safe and settled. Children understand and follow the daily routine well. They independently refer to the visual timetable to recall various routine activities in their day.

Leaders are clear about what they want children to know and learn. Following the previous inspection, they have devised a well-sequenced curriculum. For example, children engage in various construction and painting activities using brushes. Later, they learn to master the correct pencil grip as they trace lines and curves in preparation for early writing.

Children have good attitudes towards learning. Staff encourage them to remain engaged in both their self-chosen activities and during adult-led play. Children confidently choose where they want to play. They assertively communicate their wishes and feelings to their key persons. Staff engage children in conversation as they play and interact. Children know staff value their views and opinions.

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

• The manager and senior leaders have successfully addressed the actions raised at the previous inspection. They have implemented a well-devised plan of action. Staff benefit from structured supervision, training and regular opportunities to discuss their workload and planning. This has led to improvements in the quality of education and assessment of children's learning.
• Staff make good use of opportunities to build on what children already know. For example, they revisit children's learning about shapes and encourage them to describe them by their various colours. Children enthusiastically respond to staff's questions. They learn to compare everyday objects, such as the hall clock, to shapes they recognise.
• Staff are good role models. They speak politely to children and communicate clear expectations for children's behaviour. Overall, children listen and follow their instructions well. For example, children know they must use their 'walking feet' as they move around the pre-school. Despite this, at times, staff do not make the best use of opportunities to promote individual children's understanding of why some behaviour is less desirable. Therefore, children who are at an earlier stage of learning the boundaries and expectations do not demonstrate the level of understanding they are capable of.
• Children make good progress across their areas of learning. For example, they build strong small hand muscles as they fill and empty small containers. They show interest in books and stories as they listen to staff read to them. Children display good social skills as they play and interact. They happily engage in imaginary and small-world play together. Staff speak clearly and talk to children as they play. Children learn to respond and speak confidently in short phrases and sentences.
• Outdoors, children enjoy playing and exploring in the open air. They build good stamina as they move their bodies in different ways. Children have some opportunities to learn to take appropriate risks as they climb tree branches under close adult supervision.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about other communities and the world around them. For example, children enjoy office role play with toy phones and keypads. They go on nature walks and hunts for minibeasts in the outdoor garden. Children learn about Eid and other cultural celebrations. They share home photos of their families dressed in cultural clothing.
• Staff promote many skills that children need to start school. For example, children learn to wear and remove their own coats. They learn to describe the weather and name the days of the week. Staff support children's understanding of technology during role play with toy phones and keypads. Nevertheless, they do not do enough to promote children's understanding of how they can stay safe when using the internet, to support their future learning.
• Staff get to know individual children well and accurately assess what they have learned and need to know next. They swiftly identify children who are making less than expected progress. The manager works closely with parents to secure links with external professionals so children receive appropriate support.
• Parents say staff are caring and their children make good progress in their language and social skills. Nevertheless, parental partnerships need strengthening further so that parents receive guidance on how they can support their children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help children, including those at an earlier stage of their development, to develop a deeper understanding of boundaries and expectations, to fully support their learning
• seek ways to promote children's understanding of how they can stay safe when they are on the internet
• strengthen existing parental partnerships so parents receive guidance about how they can support their child's learning at home.