Grow Learn Play Project

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and have fun at the setting. They show that they enjoy the company of the staff and relate to them well. Overall, children play well together and are forming some good friendships. Staff support children's self-confidence effectively, as they regularly praise and encouraged them. Staff build respectful relationships with the children, and they give them a good amount of support, which enables them to feel safe. For instance, babies enjoy cuddles and affection as they drift peacefully off to sleep.

All children have good opportunities to develop their physical skills. Babies enjoy crawling and climbing on the indoor play frame. Toddlers learn how to navigate space and develop their coordination as they use hula hoops and ride on bikes. Children access a good range of media and materials throughout the setting. For example, pre-school children have fun exploring with soil and demonstrate good imagination skills as they make and decorate 'cakes' they have made from dough.

Overall, staff support children's learning well, for example children's communication and language development as they read stories, sing songs and talk to the children as they play. Staff understand the curriculum. They plan and prepare activities to support children's learning and next steps. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress in their learning.

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

• The management team is committed to enhancing the quality of education for all children. They offer an inclusive setting where children are welcomed and supported. The management team has some good processes in place to reflect on staff performance and practice. However, they do not focus sharply enough on staff's professional development to help raise the quality of the provision to the highest level.
• Staff know the children well and they plan a variety of activities that are centred around the children's current interests. Staff consistently provide meaningful interactions. They understand what they want children to learn and they support them effectively to reach achievable goals. Staff use their observations to plan children's next steps and to challenge the children in their development. Children flourish in their learning and receive the necessary support they need to make continual progress.
• The setting's special educational needs coordinator has a good understanding of her role and responsibilities to support children. She works effortlessly with parents and professionals, including the setting's family support worker, to ensure a consistent approach to supporting children with SEND. This helps children make the progress they are capable of.
• Children play in a clean and well-maintained environment. They are taught good health and hygiene routines. For instance, all children know they need to wash their hands before eating. In addition, children are encouraged to tidy up in preparation for mealtimes and transitions in their routine. Children enjoy meals brought in from home. Staff use mealtimes to encourage children's independence. For example, staff teach children how to open packages from their lunches. This helps to extend children's independence and skills in preparation for school.
• Staff provide a calm and respectful environment for the children. They ensure children's voices are heard and ask children before they are taken to bed or have their nappy changed if they can help them to do this. Staff support children's behaviour well. They recognise when children are kind and complete new tasks. However, at times, some staff do not consistently build on children's developing understanding about the behaviour expectations. This does not fully support children to begin to learn about how to manage their feelings and behaviours.
• The management team and staff have developed good working partnerships with parents. This helps to promote continuity in meeting children's needs. Parents comment positively about the staff and how they support their children's development. They state that they know their children are happy as they ask to come to the setting when it is not their day to attend. Parents have a good amount of information available to them, such as verbal feedback, written daily diaries and information on the online app.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the evaluation of staff practice to identify further training opportunities to help raise the quality of provision to an even higher level
• provide more consistent support to children to help them build on their understanding of how to manage their feelings and behaviours.