Jigsaw YMCA Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress with their communication and language skills. Staff use a range of ways to help children communicate, such as visual timetables and picture cards. This helps children, including those who speak English as an additional language, to understand what comes next and communicate their needs. Additionally, staff provide cosy areas for children to chat and play together.

Children enjoy many opportunities to develop their early literacy skills and develop a love of reading. This is seen when babies snuggle in with staff to listen to familiar stories. Staff have planned the environment so that books are available in all areas. Older children use the many cosy reading spaces to relax and read to their friends. Furthermore, children enhance their writing skills as they use paintbrushes and rain water to write letters on the garden fence.

Staff have high expectations of all children and give consistent messages about children's behaviour. They are good role models and support children to successfully enhance their social skills. Children, including babies, show high levels of confidence. For instance, children of all age groups invite visitors to join in their play.

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

• Staff plan interesting activities to develop children's understanding of early mathematical concepts. For instance, children learn about sequencing and patterns as they carefully place coloured pegs in a board. Furthermore, staff extend children's learning by introducing names of shapes, such as a square, as they play.
• Staff help children to develop an understanding of the world around them. They talk to children about all kinds of people in their local community and the wider world. This helps children learn about diversity and to respect others, which prepares them well for modern life.
• Staff have a good understanding of how children learn. They plan a range of activities suitable to children's stage of development to support them to make progress. This is demonstrated when babies enjoy using their senses to explore the texture and noises that bubble wrap makes when they stand on it. However, on occasions, staff interrupt activities to carry out care routines for children, such as nappy changing. This breaks children's concentration and engagement.
• Staff help children learn about sustainability. For instance, they talk to children about which items can be recycled and encourage them to put their food wrappers in the recycling bin. This supports children to develop a sense of responsibility in caring for the environment.
• Staff use a range of ways to help children understand about emotions. For example, at circle time, they encourage children to talk about how they are feeling. Furthermore, to help build on this further, staff display pictures in the nursery showing different emotions for children to use as reference. This helps children to manage their behaviour, which prepares them well for school.
• Children are learning about rules and boundaries. They behave well and are kind and caring towards their peers. For example, older children check on the well-being of their friends. Staff plan activities, such as yoga, to promote a sense of calm and well-being.
• Staff build strong and positive bonds with children. They know their key children well and are kind and nurturing. Staff prioritise children's emotional well-being. For example, they create tailored areas for individual children, which provides a familiar base to help them feel safe and secure.
• Leaders plan an ambitious and inclusive curriculum for all children. They work closely with other professionals to help children get the extra support they need to make progress with their learning and development. Furthermore, they focus professional development to support staff to meet the individual needs of the children attending.
• Parent partnerships are strong. Leaders ensure parents are included in their child's learning journey. Parents are pleased with the progress their children make at the nursery and highly praise the supportive and accommodating staff.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve staff understanding of when to adapt routines to help children remain engaged in their play and learning.