Hempsted Playgroup & Toddlers

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children display a strong sense of belonging at this warm and welcoming playgroup. They follow consistent daily routines, which help them to feel safe and secure. Each morning, shortly after children arrive, they form a circle and sing familiar songs and rhymes together. Children gain key skills in readiness for the next stage in their learning, such as the move to school. They confidently greet the staff and their friends. Children display a good understanding of early mathematical concepts. For example, at registration time, children count how many people are present. They discuss the numerals required to form the given number. Children proudly announce '17 is a one and a seven'.

Children behave well. They understand staff's expectations and eagerly make choices about their play. Children decide if they would like to play inside or outside. They remember that because it is hot they need to wear their hats and sun screen. Children enjoy a range of activities that support their physical development. They climb and balance on apparatus and display confidence when using the slide. Children develop their arm strength and coordination. They use a large paintbrush to paint a face with water. Children use their imagination as they ride around on wheeled toys, and pretend they are driving cars on the road.

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

• Staff plan a curriculum led by children's interests. They know children well and use their knowledge to identify what children need to learn next. Staff interactions encourage children to extend their knowledge and skills. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, have a positive attitude to the activities on offer and make good progress.
• Children's literacy skills are good. Staff provide a number of opportunities to support children's small-muscle development. Children make marks with pens, pencils and paint. They accurately form letters and write their name and other familiar words, such as 'Daddy'.
• Children display familiarity with certain books and stories. They predict what will happen next and retell parts of a story using picture prompts. Children excitedly act out parts of the story in order. For example, they wrap their arms around their body and pretend they are caterpillar inside a cocoon. They then stretch and flap their arms as they run around and model the movement of a butterfly.
• Managers ensure that any additional funding that children receive is well spent. For example, those in receipt of additional funding have opportunities to take part in activities that they may not usually experience. Children relish the time spent outdoors in the fresh air. They demonstrate a clear knowledge of natural growth and change over time as they participate in gardening and planting activities.
• Managers are reflective of practice and regularly review the standards of care and education at the playgroup. They are ambitious and meet with the staff team to identity professional development opportunities and areas for improvement. Managers have plans in place to raise their own qualification level, as well as the qualification level of some members of staff.
• Children enjoy playing a range of educational games offline on the playgroup's laptop. They learn cause and effect as they use a mouse to navigate the cursor on screen. However, staff are yet to consider how to use opportunities when children use the laptop to support their understanding of online safety and to promote positive attitudes towards screen time.
• Staff value the diverse nature of the setting and embrace a wide range of festivals and events celebrated by the children and families in their care. Staff encourage children to discuss unique members of their family. This supports children to learn and value everyone's differences and promotes a mutual respect for those in the community around them.
• Overall, partnership working is strong. Staff form links and share information with the nearby school as well as other early years settings that children attend. Parents speak highly of the caring and friendly staff. They receive newsletters and have daily discussions with staff about their children's time at playgroup. However, current arrangements to support and extend children's learning at home are not strong enough. The deputy manager acknowledges this and discusses her intentions to reintroduce 'wow vouchers' to seek information from parents about children's experiences at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance opportunities to support children's understanding of online safety and promote positive attitudes towards screen time
• build on the already good partnerships with parents to share even more information about children's individual learning to guide and support them to extend this at home.