Hainault Forest Community Association

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a welcoming learning environment in which children gain self-assurance. Children readily express themselves and show their unique characters. Older children confidently question visitors and cheerfully introduce themselves and their friends. Staff in the baby room create a cosy area for young children to sleep. Staff monitor and allow young children to wake naturally from their naps. All children build close emotional attachments to staff and readily go to them for a cuddle. This helps children to feel secure and happy.

Staff create a good curriculum, which supports the learning and development needs of all children. Staff provide experiences to benefit all children's communication and language development skills well. For instance, staff help children who speak English as an additional language to enjoy and learn through rhyming experiences. This benefits children's early language skills.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They help children to listen and follow instructions. For instance, staff guide older children to clear away messy painting materials, and children happily respond swiftly. Staff also plan smooth transitions between activities, which helps younger children to conduct themselves well. As a result, the children wait calmly as they line up before going back indoors after learning outdoors.

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

• Routines planned by staff are familiar to children and boost their self-esteem. However, at times, children in the pre-school room become restless during some group activities, as the duration of sessions is too long. This does not help children to further develop their already good attention and focusing skills.
• Staff support children to develop their physical development, both indoors and outdoors. Staff encourage young children as they crawl around the safe outdoor area. Indoors, they sit in a large tray of sand, scooping and squeezing sand with their hands. The toddlers manipulate sand as they transfer it from container to container and make marks in it. All children have good opportunities to develop their small- and large-muscle skills.
• Staff help older children to learn the initial sounds of words, which supports their developing reading and writing skills. This helps children to gain knowledge and skills in support of their next stage in learning.
• Staff support children to develop their knowledge of mathematics. They teach children to recognise and order numbers up to 10 in playful and enjoyable ways. Children gain good mathematical skills.
• Staff plan the environment so that children can develop their independence and self-help skills. For instance, children with paint up their arms go to the sink and use soap and water to clean themselves. When children finish using aprons, they hang them up on pegs. When some of the younger children grasp their food with their fingers as they eat, staff encourage them to try to use spoons, offering praise for their efforts. Children progressively build on what they know and can do.
• Staff gather information from parents about their children's dietary needs, such as food allergies and preferences. They communicate well to the chef, who provides well-thought-out, nutritious snacks and meals for children. Children develop a healthy attitude towards eating, and most eat their meals eagerly. This helps to further promote children's health and physical development.
• The manager has clear, ambitious intentions for children's learning, which she shares with the whole staff team. The manager observes and trains staff, which supports their practice. The room leaders, with the support of the manager, skilfully plan and implement the curriculum.
• Parent partnership is strong. Parents comment that staff are friendly and that they are happy with the progress their children are making. Parents have conversations with their children's key person regularly. This promotes children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the length of group times to further develop children's attention and focusing skills to a higher level to enhance their learning.