Hartfield Playschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish in this warm and welcoming environment. They engage and immerse themselves in the exciting activities set for them, which are based on their interests. Staff provide a well-thought-out curriculum to support and embed children's learning. For example, in the mud kitchen, children explore the variety of herbs and resources. They discuss making different-flavoured 'cupcakes' as they add and stir ingredients in. This supports their language development as they revisit home experiences.

Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. They form good bonds with the staff, who are attentive and kind. They feel confident to approach staff for comfort, which supports their emotional well-being. Children have opportunities to develop their gross motor skills in the large outdoor area. They become resilient as they learn to take age-appropriate risks. Children confidently navigate climbing apparatus while staff watch and encourage them, praising them for their efforts and successes.

Children behave well. They listen to and follow simple instructions. For instance, they help staff tidy up the toys before lunch. Staff encourage children to use good manners and say 'please' and 'thank you'. Children start to share and take turns. They become increasingly independent. Children start managing their own self-care, such as washing their hands before meals and putting their coats on.

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

• The manager and staff have high expectations for the children in their care. They know their key children well. Staff observe children's learning and identify what the intent of their curriculum is. They use their good knowledge of children to plan activities that challenge and inspire them to explore. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The manager and special educational needs coordinator work closely with families and external services to implement effective strategies to provide early intervention where required. They plan targeted support and provide individual learning activities to support children's next steps in learning. As a result, all children make good progress in their learning and development.
• In general, staff support children's language and communication well. They model language and introduce new vocabulary during play and activities. For example, while engaged in a messy play activity, children are introduced to the word 'sticky'. However, at times, children do not have enough time to process and respond to one question before being asked another one. This may have an impact on children's communication development.
• Staff engage well with children. They challenge children's abilities and check their understanding of what they are being taught. However, at times, staff do not consistently engage with quieter or shy children during some activities. When this happens, the shy, quieter children do not fully benefit from the learning opportunities available. Consequently, not all aspects of their learning and development are consistently challenged. This can have an effect on children's attitude to learning.
• Children learn about healthy lifestyles. Staff support parents to provide children with healthy snacks and meals. They discuss healthy eating throughout the day and in various activities. For instance, children talk about healthy food at snack time and about brushing teeth while discussing the minty smell of 'gloop'.
• Partnerships with parents are a strength of the setting. Parents speak highly of the playschool. They comment that the manager and staff are extremely supportive to both their own and their children's needs. Parents describe the staff and manager as 'fantastic'. They say that they are very happy with the progress their children make in their learning and development. Staff share observations and assessments with parents so that they are fully included in their children's learning.
• The manager is very passionate about her role. She implements effective strategies, such as supervision sessions and individual meetings, to evaluate workload and promote staff well-being. She offers effective one-to-one meetings that support staff to reflect on their practice and discuss additional training and any personal issues. Staff comment that they feel well supported.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to build on their questioning skills to extend children's learning and development, allowing them enough time to process and express their thoughts
• support staff to further adapt activities to ensure that all children, particularly quieter children, can fully engage and benefit from the learning opportunities.