Haxby Playgroups Headlands

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this happy and nurturing environment. Staff are kind and welcoming to children and spend lots of time playing with them. They quickly form strong and caring bonds. These secure attachments help children to feel safe and confident to explore the many toys and resources available. Children behave well. They respond positively when adults remind them to share toys, or encourage them to use good manners. Children learn good hygiene routines, such as washing their hands regularly and using tissues to wipe their noses. This supports their growing independence and helps to stop the spread of infection.

Children have fun at the playgroup, and show great enthusiasm for learning. They use resources imaginatively, including real-life props for their role play, such as using real cups and pots as they pretend to make tea for the staff. Children are curious and absorbed as they experiment with making marks as they write letters for home. Children listen intently to a story about animals. They enthusiastically join in and listen intently as they make predictions as they recall the story. Other children show a fascination for cars as they look at magazines, discussing with staff the make of each car and the technical capabilities.

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

• Leaders value their strong partnerships with parents. For example, during the COVID-19 epidemic, they maintained regular contact with families to check on their welfare and help support children's learning at home. Staff ensure that parents are kept well informed about every aspect of their child's care and education. Parents' comments are extremely positive. They state that 'the playgroup provides a perfect start for children's academic journey and they are well prepared for school.'
• The manager and staff team constantly reflect on the quality of the provision and strive to make improvements. Staff have regular supervision sessions where staff are able to identify their training needs. However, opportunities for staff to share their knowledge and expertise to raise the learning experiences and improve the quality of education across the playgroup are not fully embedded.
• Staff get to know children well from the start. They gather information from parents to help tailor settling-in sessions to support children's individual needs and interests. Staff plan activities that allow children to take the lead in their own learning and they are eager to take part.
• Staff support children's communication skills well, overall. For example, they talk to children throughout the day, and use lots of repetition to help them learn and remember new words. Where children are still developing their speech, staff teach them to communicate their needs using pictorial prompts, objects or gestures. This helps all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to communicate their needs.
• Children develop a secure understanding of mathematics. They concentrate well as they count and demonstrate a secure understanding of positional language. Staff further extend their learning as they introduce concepts of 'half' and 'quarter'. They discuss with children how to share the dough with their friends by cutting the dough in two.
• Behaviour throughout the playgroup is good. Staff support children to understand what is expected of them. Children make independent choices in their play. They develop an understanding of sharing with and caring for their peers.
• Staff have high expectations for children. All children, including those in receipt of funding, children with English as an additional language and children with special education needs and/or disabilities, make good progress. Staff know their individual children well and talk about them with interest and affection. They monitor children's progress and plan experiences to build on what children already know and can do.
• Staff support children's learning generally well during planned activities. However, at times, staff do not always provide children with time to respond to their questions, to develop their thinking and reasoning skills.
• Children demonstrate an enjoyment of books. For instance, younger children competently choose books. They settle down to read these, handling them carefully, turning the pages and using vocabulary as they pretend to read.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• give children more time to formulate answers and respond when asking them questions that encourage them to develop their thinking and reasoning skills
• provide greater opportunities for staff to share their knowledge and expertise to help them to raise learning experiences even further and embed consistency in teaching across the playgroup.