Greenwich House Independent School, Kindergarten and Creche

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are greeted by caring and kind staff when they arrive, and show that they enjoy coming into the homely setting. When they first attend, staff invite parents to help children to settle in and use this time to get to know and support children to follow their interests. This allows children to develop strong relationships with staff. As a result, children settle quickly and are ready to learn. Staff know the children well and provide a range of activities that children freely access. Children are supported to develop their mathematical skills. For example, staff encourage them to count as they fetch and carry buckets of water to create muddy puddles. Staff model behaviour that helps children to know what is expected of them. Children demonstrate good social skills as they take turns and share the paints with other children and say, 'You can have it after me.'

Children are supported by staff to understand how to manage risks themselves as they manoeuvre their bodies carefully and safely up ladders and onto a climbing block. This helps to increase children's self-confidence. Children are encouraged to use their imagination when staff ask them to hunt for a pretend bear. They remember favourite stories and enthusiastically retell them as they search for the bear. When children climb and jump off toadstools they say, 'Where is that bear?' They gleefully cheer and giggle in excitement as their search comes to an end.

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

• Overall, the manager and staff implement a curriculum that supports all children's development, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps children to progress in their learning.
• Staff listen to children's views. They provide pre-school children the opportunity to take responsibility with planning their own activities. Staff ask pre-school children to talk about and draw what they are interested in and would like to learn about. Staff use this information to plan activities to help build on children's learning. For example, when children share their experience of visiting an aquarium, this sparks other children's curiosity. Staff support this developing interest in sea creatures. They provide resources for children to independently explore and children paint pictures of humpback whales.
• Staff encourage children's self-care skills. This includes showing children how to use cutlery, appropriate for their stage of development to feed themselves. However, occasionally, staff do not follow the setting's curriculum in supporting children's independence. For example, staff step in too quickly to help children to wipe their nose and put on their coat.
• Staff help children to understand the importance of keeping hydrated and being healthy. Children have unlimited access to drinking water. Staff and children encourage each other to try a variety of new food tastes. Older children try
• Inspection report: Greenwich House Independent School, Kindergarten and Creche 2 27 March 2024 papaya and say, 'I don't like that one,' as they pull faces at one another.
• Mealtimes are a sociable experience for children. Staff are positive role models and sit alongside children, showing them good table manners, as they hold conversations with them.
• Children show that they enjoy the time they spend outdoors. However, at times staff take on a supervisory role when children play outdoors, and interactions with children are not as effective as when they are indoors. This limits opportunities for children to build on their learning when they play in the garden.
• Parents speak positively about the setting. They appreciate the resources they can borrow to help them continue to support their children's learning at home. Children share with their parents that they love attending and have fun.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has a clear understanding of her role. When staff identify potential gaps in children's development the SENCo works closely with the team to develop targeted support to further children's development. Furthermore, additional funding is used to effectively to support children's individual needs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to implement the agreed curriculum to develop children's independence
• improve staff's interactions with children outdoors, to build on their learning and enjoyment.
• Inspection report: Greenwich House Independent School, Kindergarten and Creche 3 27 March 2024