Gateway Brockhurst Avery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children joyfully greet their friends as they come inside and put their belongings away. They quickly get involved with different activities that staff set up for them. Staff happily welcome children and talk to them about their busy mornings. Children feel safe and comfortable as they engage in meaningful conversations with staff, who know them well.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and implement these consistently. They talk to children about their 'golden rules'. Children learn about simple expectations, such as walking inside and using 'kind hands' when playing with their friends. This helps children to learn about rules and boundaries. Children behave well.

Children laugh and giggle with delight as they explore in the outdoor play areas. Staff teach older children how to use equipment, such as bicycles and scooters. Younger children are focused and engaged as they explore with water. Staff promote language, such as 'pour' and 'splash', as children play. Children begin to imitate these new words, and staff offer excited praise as they practise together. Nurturing and devoted staff develop children's communication skills well.

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

• Staff have a good understanding of how to use assessment well. They develop effective systems to gather information about children when they first start. This means that staff promptly identify children's stage of learning and put plans in place to build on what they know and can do. This practice helps children to make good progress from their starting points in development.
• Staff promote children's independence skills consistently across the setting. Even from a very young age, children try hard as they put on their coats and shoes, for instance. Children also respond well to instructions. They joyfully participate when it is time to tidy up, and they encourage their friends to join in too. Children build a good understanding of completing tasks for themselves.
• Leaders have ambitious intentions for what they want children to learn. Staff, overall, have a good understanding of this. They know how to create activities that follow children's interests and promote different areas of learning for children. However, at times, the implementation of the literacy curriculum is not as strong. For example, although leaders plan for children to engage regularly with books, staff do not consistently inspire this interest through interactions or storytelling. Furthermore, staff do not promote children's regular access to a broad range of books consistently across the different learning spaces in the setting. This means that, at times, children's love of reading is not increased.
• Children have plenty of opportunities to engage in messy play with different media and materials. Staff play alongside children and demonstrate how to explore and describe different textures. Children play with an interesting mixture and explain that it is 'cold' and 'sticky'. Staff offer children suggestions of different ways they can explore and experiment. They support children's imaginations and creativity well.
• Staff discuss the consistent and effective support they receive for their professional development. For example, they explain that they access training to increase their knowledge of supporting children's behaviour. Leaders also provide regular supervision sessions to target training and manage staff's well-being. This helps staff to feel valued in their roles and increases teaching standards for children.
• Parents and carers are highly positive about the setting and staff. They discuss how they feel very well informed about children's progress and activities through the day. Staff work closely with parents to identify children's interests and learning needs. They also have discussions about children's home experiences so that they can use this information in discussions during the day. Parents are also involved in developing plans for the next steps in children's learning. This means that they can further extend children's learning at home. Partnerships with parents are strong.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the implementation of the literacy curriculum to further inspire children's interest in books and encourage their love of reading.