Kaleidascope Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff work hard to provide a tranquil and welcoming environment. This helps children to feel immediately relaxed as they enter the nursery and develop strong relationships with staff. Children are provided with exciting learning that is well planned and builds on what children already know and can do. Children eagerly explore throughout the day and have exposure to well-modelled language. Staff talk to children about what they are doing, such as making 'birthday cakes' in the sandpit. This helps children understand new language associated with celebrations, as they add sticks for 'candles' and share their personal experiences.

Children investigate the smell of lavender picked from the garden. They snip pieces off and add them to their mud kitchen creations, helping to build strength in the muscles in their hands. Children take it in turns to climb up the climbing holds and slide down the high slide into bark chippings. They experience risk and challenge which enable them to make decisions about their own spatial awareness and control. All staff are highly responsive to children's needs. For example, they offer reassurance, encouraging smiles and cuddles when needed. Children are happy, self-assured and continually interact with each other and the staff.

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

• Staff are skilful in setting up the environment, and they provide appealing resources for the children. Children are inspired by the environment. All children display high levels of motivation and engagement. For example, children explore with awe and wonder as they mix paint with bath foam. They make marks with different textures on reflective surfaces such as tin foil. Children are becoming curious, competent learners.
• Group times are instigated by children, and they enjoy making choices about which story or song they will share. However, at times, staff do not make the best use of these sessions to implement specific learning outcomes. The activities do not consider the children's age or stage of development. As a result, some children lose focus and become disinterested.
• Staff use mealtimes to support children's self-help and independence skills. Children concentrate as they carefully pour their own water from jugs. They benefit from a balanced menu that has a variety of foods. They enjoy spooning fruit onto their plate, pouring their own cereal and spreading butter on their own toast.
• The special educational needs coordinator uses her knowledge to support children well. She regularly liaises with external agencies to coordinate targeted support and resources for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. On occasion, staff do not recognise how they can fully support children who speak English as an additional language to express their wants and needs.
• Staff provide children with many opportunities to gain new skills and knowledge about the world through hands-on experiences like going on local trips. Children have opportunities to practise skills such as visiting the shop. They share their experiences of what makes them similar and different and explore their natural environment as they make the journey.
• Leaders have sought guidance on the importance of an inspiring continuous provision. As a result, staff ensure the curriculum offers an extensive range of learning opportunities that keep children engaged and motivated to learn. Staff have a strong focus on providing children with exploratory experiences and those that promote imagination and creativity in play.
• Parents are happy with the communication received about their child's care. They comment that they feel reassured that staff take extra effort to learn about their children as individuals. Families are asked to provide photos of people who will be collecting children. This helps to assure safety and gives children the opportunity to talk about those who are special in their lives.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the implementation of group times to maximise the learning opportunities for every child
• develop strategies that staff use to support children who speak English as an additional language to communicate their wants and needs.