Hopwood Park Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in this playgroup. Staff encourage children to vocalise their thoughts and use their interests from home to plan for their learning further. For example, children learn about St George's Day after children bring knight costumes in to show the group. This helps children to remain engaged and feel valued. Staff help children to develop good communication skills. They repeat words clearly back to children during their play. Staff encourage children to think about words they may not have heard before, such as 'fierce'. This broadens children's vocabularies. Staff are good at recognising when children have gaps in their learning and work quickly to help them to catch up. Furthermore, they involve external agencies if children require further support. As a result, children make good progress and are prepared for their move on to school.

Staff embed mathematical concepts during children's play well. They encourage children to think about how many sunflowers will grow from different amounts of seeds. Additionally, children work out how to fill diggers up in the sand using funnels, sieves and spades. Children enjoy being creative and staff encourage them to use their imagination skills. Children 'splodge' paint on their flower designs and draw animals with chalk outside. They tell the inspector they have made 'rainbow chicks' and show her their attempts at writing their name. Children develop their early writing skills and are proud of their achievements. Staff offer children high levels of praise, which increases their self-esteem and confidence.

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

• Staff encourage children to recall the playgroup's rules, such as using 'kind hands' and 'walking feet'. In the main, children understand the routines of the day and are happy to respond to instructions. However, staff do not consistently remind children what is expected of them during their play if they become disruptive. For example, as children leave group time to collect their coats, they run around, throw toys on the floor and bang into each other. On occasion, this leads to the environment becoming chaotic and children do not show positive attitudes to staff's requests.
• Staff help children learn about a range of cultural celebrations and traditions to help them become aware of different religions and ethnicities. However, staff do not teach children about the broader range of differences people have within the world around them in order for them to accept and appreciate others. This slightly hinders their opportunity to develop positive attitudes about what makes everyone unique.
• Partnerships with parents and carers are established. Parents know what their children have been learning at playgroup. Staff give parents suggestions to carry on their children's learning at home in their daily communication books.
• Additionally, children take the playgroup's teddy home to help continue their development and encourage parents to engage even more. In the main, parents receive crucial information regarding their children's education and care. However, staff do not ensure that all parents understand all information and are aware of certain aspects, such as who their child's key person is.
• Leaders have a good awareness of the areas they wish to develop in the playgroup and work to maintain good levels of care and education for children. They encourage staff to complete training they have an interest in and that is focused on the emerging needs of children. For example, staff learn about how to support speech and language to help those children who have gaps in their communication skills. This helps children to continue to make good progress.
• Children learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy. For instance, they tell staff they do not run on certain sections of the playground when it is wet. Additionally, children know they need to wash their hands before eating and confidently brush their teeth after having their snack. Children have many opportunities to run, balance and ride bicycles. Furthermore, children sometimes use the local park to play team sports. This helps their physical development.
• Staff use good teaching skills with children. They know the areas of learning they wish to extend during children's play that best meet their individual abilities. For example, during a planting activity, staff teach older children about how sunlight and water help flowers grow. Younger children are encouraged to focus on the sensory aspect of feeling soil and using new words. Staff adapt their teaching well. As a result, children remain engaged in their play and are busy throughout their time in the playgroup.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide children with clear and consistent messages about the expectations for their behaviour, to help them to respond to requests and routines more positively
• support children to gain a broader awareness of diversity to help them to appreciate the wide range of different people in modern Britain
• ensure that parents consistently receive all information regarding their children's education and care, particularly who their child's key person is.