Horsendale Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show that they thoroughly enjoy their time at playgroup. They separate from their main carers with ease, excitedly making their way to the main play room. Those children who arrive a little unsettled instantly settle with a warm welcome from staff. Children develop good levels of confidence and curiosity during their time at playgroup. They are eager to engage with visitors. They ask questions and talk about their families and the things they enjoy doing. Children develop a positive attitude to learning and concentrate as they explore activities that capture their interest. For example, children sit alongside staff who encourage them to think critically about how they will use different shaped magnets to build a structure for their pretend animals.

Children enjoy activities which help to build on their fine motor skills. They use play dough to mould with their hands to make pretend hot cross buns. Outside, children use their larger muscles and explore what happens when they hit different lengths of pipe with a wooden spoon. They discover how the sound can change. Children show high levels of imagination. They spend a long time playing cooperatively alongside their peers in the role-play vegetable shop. They use their early literacy skills to write a shopping list and collect real vegetables in their shopping baskets.

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

• The manager strives to provide the best service she can. For example, she supports staff through regular one-to-one meetings and encourages them to complete training courses to help develop their knowledge of how children learn and develop. Staff say that they feel valued and supported, both professionally and personally. They are highly motivated and talk proudly of the close knit team they have. Children's care and learning benefit from this experienced and dedicated team of staff.
• Following the COVID-19 pandemic, staff recognised that there were gaps in some children's self-care and mathematical skills. So, this became a focus for the playgroup curriculum. Children make super progress in these areas of learning, with children being able to put on their coats and do up their zips independently. When children proudly announce, 'I did it', staff help to raise their self-esteem with a 'high five' for their efforts. Mathematics are subtly weaved into the day. For example, story time is often a book that focuses on numbers and counting.
• Staff are keen to ensure children adopt a healthy lifestyle by getting fresh air and physical exercise every day. Children thoroughly enjoy playing out in the rain. They develop the muscles in their bodies as they climb and slide on the large equipment and persevere to walk along the rollers that move under their feet. Children laugh as they slip and show a can-do attitude as they try again.
• Staff work with parents and other professionals effectively to support children with emerging additional needs. Staff create clear next steps to support all children's learning and development. Parents praise the work staff do to support their children and commend the progress their children make. However, some parents do not receive enough information, so they can support their child's learning at home.
• Overall, staff ensure children have access to a good range of activities, indoors and outdoors, to inspire their learning. However, children have limited access to digital technology. Furthermore, staff do not help children to understand how to identify potential hazards when they access the internet.
• Staff are mindful that some children may not explore different sensory and messy activities. So, they provide children with opportunities to experience these in their play. For example, children show their creativity as they use forks, brushes and potato mashers dipped in paint to make a picture. They extend their learning by mixing colours on the paper.
• Staff are highly complimentary to children for their efforts and kind acts. They help to raise children's self-esteem when they praise them for making intricate buildings from bricks, they say, 'Did you build that? You are very talented.' Equally, staff thank children for their kindness when they volunteer to share their toys.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to extend the partnerships with parents to help all parents understand how to support their child's individual learning at home
• help staff to further enhance children's access to functioning technology and to expand their knowledge of how and what to do if they identify potential hazards.