Hadley Under & Over 5's Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and safe at this welcoming and inclusive setting. Staff build warm and nurturing relationships with children. They offer cuddles of reassurance when children are upset and praise them for their efforts and achievements throughout the day. This gives children the confidence to explore their well-resourced environment.

All children thoroughly enjoy their time outdoors. Staff provide an array of stimulating and exciting activities that span all areas of learning. Children are physically active as they race their friends on tricycles and scooters. They expertly negotiate space as they take a tight turn and drive under the bridge. Children practise their mark-making skills as they inspect a real car. They draw ticks and crosses as they follow instructions to check the suitability of the vehicle. Outdoor play opportunities fully enrich children's learning.

Children behave well. Staff offer gentle reminders of the setting's rules throughout the day. Children recall their group-time rules together with the support of visual aids. Staff sensitively support children to understand that their friends with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) may need a little more time or guidance with some activities. As a result, children are patient and show a lot of support to their friends with additional needs.

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

• Overall, staff support children to make good progress in their learning. They observe children to monitor their development and identify next steps for them to achieve across all areas of learning. However, the organisation of routines and activities means that staff do not have consistent opportunities to support the learning and development of their key children. Therefore, children are not able to fully submerge themselves in all learning opportunities with the support of their key person.
• Staff focus on supporting children's communication and language development. They use a combination of screening tools and interventions to increase children's confidence and improve their language development. Staff closely monitor the impact of the intervention. As a result, children make good progress in this area.
• Children develop a love of books. Staff extend children's knowledge of familiar stories through engaging activities. For example, children recall parts of the story, 'We're going on a bear hunt', as they wash off muddy wellington boots in a water-play activity.
• Children are familiar with the setting's daily routines. For example, they help to tidy up when they hear the familiar tidy-up song and independently sit for lunch after handwashing. However, at times, children are not sufficiently challenged and supported to develop their independence skills. For example, staff complete tasks for the children, rather than supporting them to try and complete tasks for themselves. Therefore, children do not make the best possible progress in their personal development.
• The manager and her team value the diverse range of cultures and backgrounds of children in the setting. Staff ensure that they celebrate and reflect on the important events in the children's lives. This helps to prepare children for life in modern Britain.
• The setting demonstrates a commitment to supporting children with SEND. Staff make relevant adaptations to the setting to ensure that children with SEND can access all parts of the curriculum. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to implement targeted development plans. As a result, children with SEND make good progress and are prepared for their transition to school.
• Staff know children well. They gather key information about children before they start the setting. Staff use this information to establish children's starting points and create a baseline to build on. This means that children engage in meaningful learning from the very beginning.
• Staff work in partnership with parents and support them to extend their children's learning into their home environment. Parents comment that the setting is 'amazing', and staff go 'above and beyond' for their children.
• The manager is enthusiastic and dedicated to continually enhance the quality of the setting. Staff feel valued and supported and report high levels of well-being. The manager provides regular supervision and team meetings to help staff develop their good practice and identify areas for professional development. This ensures that teaching is of a consistently good standard.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of routines and activities to enable key persons to support the learning and development of their key children more consistently
• provide more consistent challenge and support for children to develop their independence skills and enhance their personal development even further.