Future Einsteins Churwell Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are busy, active learners in the safe, accessible learning environment. They are curious and encouraged to test out their ideas and be independent. Staff allow children to follow their interests and are there to offer support to extend the learning experience. Staff understand the importance of allowing children time to practise and hone their skills, to be secure in their knowledge.

The curriculum is ambitious and sequenced to build on what children know and can do. It is flexible to incorporate children's current interests so that it is meaningful and enjoyable for children. Staff talk confidently about their key children and about the skills they are focusing on and why. They share this information with parents and give them ideas of how they can build on this learning at home.

During the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, staff worked well, in partnership with parents, to continue to provide learning experiences for children. This included sending home learning packs with suggestions of activities and useful websites. They encouraged families to share photos of things children had enjoyed or made at home and delivered live story time sessions. When children returned to the setting, staff prioritised children's social and emotional development and helped them to settle back into familiar routines at their own pace. They provided children with opportunities to talk about how they were feeling, recognising children's different emotional responses to returning.

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

• Staff understand the skills children need to acquire next to sequence learning and build on knowledge and skills. Overall, staff reflect well on their practice and consider the different ways they can continue to motivate children to learn. However, in the toddler room, staff are not always alert to children who, at times, are less engaged in purposeful play, nor do they explore the reasons for this.
• Babies have secure attachments with staff who understand their needs. Staff respond well to children and follow their lead when they show that they want to try new skills. For example, children wanting to drink from cups without lids. They model how to hold the cup correctly and praise children for having a go.
• Activities capture children's interest and imagination. Babies enjoy playing with feathers. They watch with anticipation as coloured feathers are released from clenched hands and enjoy watching them fall. They blow them off their hands, understanding they have made this happen through their actions.
• Pre-school children persevere well on tasks, concentrate, and are motivated to learn. They use tongs to pick up different items at the nature table and skilfully transfer them into bowls. They challenge themselves to sort all the acorns, cones, and conkers into different groups and count them.
• Toddlers enjoy using their senses during activities, as they squeeze oranges and smell and taste the juice. They use their imaginations to create dinosaur habitats from pumpkins and cereals. They talk about what they are doing, 'Look, the juice is dripping from his tail'.
• Staff help children to gain an understanding of other's feelings and learn how their behaviour impacts on others. Children are beginning to resolve their own disputes and come up with solutions. Staff encourage children's awareness of equality and diversity and support them to learn more about one another and their range of experiences.
• The programme for communication and language is strong and children are developing well in this area. They learn news words and their meaning, such as 'cavities', when learning about oral health. Some children are starting to recognise some letter sounds and identify words that begin with that sound. Staff remind children how to hold their pencil correctly when writing letters and reinforce these key skills as firm foundations for learning.
• Good support is in place for children with identified needs. Staff work well in partnership with parents and professionals to ensure children are achieving and provided with challenging learning experiences.
• Parents report how they can see the progress their children are making. They enjoy the parent workshops where they can try the activities. This gives them an insight into what their children learn at nursery and why.
• Self-evaluation is an accurate reflection of the setting. Leaders and managers have a clear vision of what they want to do next, why and how they think this will benefit the children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff in the toddler room to evaluate and reflect on what children have learned during less structured times of the day, to be able to determine the quality of the learning experience.