Growing Places @ Morelands

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in the care of passionate and dedicated staff. They learn to be kind, caring and respectful. They gain a good understanding of the needs of others and offer regular help to one another with tasks they find tricky, such as holding the sticky tape for a friend, so they are able to cut the tape with scissors. Older children enjoy weekly visits to a local care home, where they build meaningful relationships with residents. This helps children develop their conversation skills and confidence as they interact with people of different ages and backgrounds.

Children learn to be critical thinkers through interesting activities that capture their curiosity. For instance, children explore the properties of pine cones and the conditions they need to open and close. Staff encourage children to recall their findings so far and share their ideas as to what they might try next, such as freezing the pine cones in water. Children make predictions and observations and discuss their findings. This helps them form secure connections as they learn about the world around them.

Children behave exceptionally well as they follow the rules and demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. Staff are calm, kind and responsive. They know children very well and adapt their approach depending on children's individual needs. Children develop excellent attitudes towards their learning. For example, children concentrate intently and show resilience when challenging their skills, such as folding paper to wrap boxes. Staff provide regular meaningful praise, resulting in children wanting to do well.

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

• The manager is extremely passionate about providing children with the knowledge, skills and self-belief that they need to be successful citizens. The manager and their highly motivated team provide an ambitious curriculum that builds successfully on what children already know. Staff speak highly of the support and opportunities that they receive through effective supervision. They demonstrate excellent levels of confidence and expertise as they showcase their teaching abilities.
• Children develop high levels of independence while learning how to keep themselves safe and healthy. For example, children help prepare snacks by washing the fruit in clean water. Staff explain why it is important to remove any dirt and germs from fruit before eating. Children observe changes to the water after cleaning fruit, pointing our dirt and debris, which validates their learning further. Staff regularly discuss risk with children and demonstrate safe techniques as they prepare snacks together. Children practise new skills as they carefully slice fruit with knives, keeping their fingers tucked away from the blade.
• Children, including those with English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, become confident communicators. Staff support children's early language development exceptionally well. For example, staff working with younger children use simple sentences and clear pronunciation when communicating. Older children have excellent opportunities to practise their conversation and listening skills. For instance, they take turns to ask their friends what they would like for snack before passing them the corresponding items of food.
• Staff introduce new concepts through highly engaging activities and interactions. For example, children learn about measure as they weigh out ingredients when making mince pies. Older children compare quantities as they count the number of children present and compare this to the number of cups that are available, deciding whether there are enough cups for everyone. Toddlers learn about shape and space they as stack coloured blocks. They name basic shapes correctly and explore shape properties as they consider why a rectangle cannot be placed on top of a triangle. This helps prepare children exceptionally well for their eventual move to school.
• Staff provide meaningful activities that help children develop a secure sense of self and belonging. For instance, children share and discuss each other's Christmas traditions and customs. They learn that, in some cultures, children place their boots outside and wake up to find them full of fruits and nuts. Whereas in other cultures, children enjoy a fish feast on Christmas Eve. Children show great interest as staff recreate these experiences for all to enjoy.
• Partnerships with parents and professionals are highly effective. Staff work in partnership with other settings, schools and professionals. This ensures that children receive the support they need as they successfully transition to their next stage in learning. Parents speak enthusiastically about the opportunities their children have access to at the setting, including the time children spend outdoors. Parents speak highly of the support their family receive and the progress their children make during their time at the setting.