Furzehill Childcare Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are greeted warmly by staff and leave their parents and carers with ease. Staff understand the importance of building strong relationships with the children. For example, staff plan detailed inductions, where they spend time getting to know each unique child. This supports children's individual needs and enables them to form strong attachments with staff.

Children develop good friendship groups and enjoy each other's company. For instance, they sit in the cosy area where they enjoy looking at books together. Staff support children to learn to listen, take turns, and share. For example, children sit and listen to instructions and wait their turn while taking part in small-group activities. Staff support the children to learn how to look after resources and encourage them to take an active role in tidying up. This supports children to behave well.

The manager and staff ensure that the curriculum is ambitious for all children. Children enjoy choosing to take part in an exciting range of activities that interest and engage them. For example, children delight at taking part in an activity banging nails and small wooden shapes into a corkboard. They discuss with staff what they are creating. Staff support children to learn how to climb and balance safely. For instance, children create their own assault courses and enjoy using the climbing frame. This supports children's learning and development.

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

• The knowledgeable and passionate special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) knows the needs of the children well. The SENCo supports staff to ensure that strategies are put in place straight away, to ensure that children's gaps in development close quickly. The manager and SENCo work closely with parents. They have good links with outside agencies, who are invited into the setting to support children and staff. Funding is used effectively. For example, resources are purchased to meet children's individual needs. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make strong progress from their individual starting points.
• The nominated individual, who is also the manager, is passionate about her role and the future of the setting. They value the staff team and support their well-being effectively. Staff say that they feel valued in their roles and enjoy working at the setting. The manager makes good use of training to develop staff's knowledge and skills. However, on occasions, the manager does not identify that staff do not always deploy themselves effectively during busier times to support the needs of the children. This does not enable staff to make the most of each interaction with children in order to extend their learning further.
• Staff provide children with opportunities to take part in a variety of musical activities. Young children enjoy dancing and singing familiar songs. For example, they sing songs about bubbles, while moving around excitedly to pop bubbles from the bubble machine. Older children learn about musical instruments. For example, they sing various songs and use percussion instruments. They learn to beat them to the rhythm of the music. This supports children's creative development.
• Staff are proactive in supporting children's literacy skills and love of books, in an engaging way. For example, they read the book 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea' while the children act out the story. Staff encourage the children to discuss the story. For instance, they talk about what the tiger is having for tea and support the children to use a real tea pot, while counting how many cups of water they need. This supports children's communication and language development as well as their physical coordination.
• The manager and staff recognise the importance of giving children opportunities to develop an understanding of their community. For example, children frequently visit a local care home and spend time taking part in activities with the elderly residents.
• The manager and staff form strong relationships with parents, who speak highly of the setting. They regularly share children's progress with parents and provide ideas for home learning. Parents say that their children are looked after extremely well and that they feel well supported.
• Staff support children's emotional development well. For example, children in the younger room enjoy closeness with staff as they receive warm cuddles while being settled off to sleep. In addition, older children are comforted when they express that they are feeling sad. This enables all children to build good bonds and relationships with staff.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and strengthen the arrangements for the deployment of staff, especially during busy times, to further support children's learning.