I Learn Education Scunthorpe

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Practitioners provide children with a very safe and caring learning environment. They place a priority on children's personal, social, and emotional development. Practitioners support children to have a positive sense of themselves. They talk about what makes children unique and celebrate this. Practitioners show warmth, care and affection to children. Children frequently approach practitioners for comfort and cuddles. Babies snuggle their key persons and rest their head on their shoulder. Relationships between practitioners and children are sensitive, stimulating and responsive. Children are extremely happy.

Practitioners create a calm and interesting environment. This supports children to be calm, relaxed and absorb information. Children remain focused on exciting activities and show deep concentration. They play nicely with their friends and talk kindly to others. Practitioners support children to share and wait for their turn. Children encourage their friends to complete tasks. They provide support and guidance when their friends struggle to cut tape. Older children consistently role model good manners to younger children. Their behaviour is exemplary.

Practitioners have high expectations for children's learning and development. They encourage children to make their own choices and access all areas of an ambitious curriculum. Practitioners engage in back-and-forth and meaningful conversations with children. They are skilled in engaging in children's play and developing their learning. For example, when children play with building blocks, practitioners teach children about castles and towers. They introduce children to the Taj Mahal and the Tower of Pisa. Children learn about shapes and history. They learn rich new language, such as 'sphere', 'cylinder', 'cube' and 'cuboid'. Children gain substantial knowledge.

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

• Children of all ages gain a deep understanding of mathematics. Practitioners encourage children to count bubbles, blocks and fruit. They challenge older children to count small seeds. Children transfer water using jugs and funnels. Older children use straws to blow water around a tray. They learn about capacity, depth, volume and water flow. Older children learn about wind speed and knots, such as when they make flags.
• Children have exciting opportunities to develop and strengthen their large and small muscles. Practitioners place interesting, colourful, sensory resources appropriately around the room. They encourage babies to crawl, pull themselves up, cruise and walk to explore. Babies are intrigued and curious.
• Practitioner provide hands-on experiences for children in the forest school. Children learn how to use various tools, boil water and cook food on an open fire safely. Children problem solve and learn to manage risk. They learn how to keep themselves and their friends safe. Children are increasingly independent.
• Babies hear lots of sounds, words and early language. Practitioners introduce and encourage them to explore a wide selection of exciting books. Practitioners use story time as opportunity to spark children's imaginations and learn new vocabulary. They use props, exaggerated voices and expressive facial expressions. Practitioners pause and wait for older children to fill in the gaps of the story. Children recall and tell parts of the story. This helps children to build on their language skills which they need for when they start school.
• Practitioners implement strategies to support children with special educational needs/disabilities (SEND). They use picture cards, sign language and visual prompts. This enables children to communicate their needs. Practitioners sing songs at the start of every activity. This helps to give children firm routines and embeds their language.
• Practitioners are very effective educators. They use natural resources to extensively promote children's creative thinking and problem-solving. Children are encouraged to use their imaginations. They turn crates into aeroplanes, tyres into castles and boxes into motorcycles. Practitioners use carefully worded questions to probe children's knowledge. Children recall past experiences. Practitioners give children time to absorb information, to think about their knowledge and to respond in their own time and words.
• Managers and practitioners are passionate and committed to providing high-quality care and education. They complete regular reviews of practice. Practitioners make positive changes, such as introducing comfort scarfs for babies with the scent of home. This provides comfort and supports babies to settle and bond with their key persons
• Partnership working is strong. Practitioners have excellent links with parents, schools and professionals to support children's continuity of care. They include strategies, support and activities in the newsletter to engage all parents. Parents comment that they could not be happier with the quality of care that practitioners provide. They are assured that their children are safe and happy while learning essential life skills.