Kettering Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily, and confidently say goodbye to their parents. Children are safe because staff are vigilant in their supervision during play. Children begin to understand how to keep themselves safe. Children are reminded by staff about how to use equipment safely and not running indoors. Children behave very well. They know what is expected of them because all staff have a consistent approach and clearly explain why certain behaviour is not safe.

Children respond to the high expectations staff have for them. Staff actively promote children's increasing independence. Toddlers follow staff's lead to plant seeds in compost and independently go to wash their hands. They use soap and rub their hands vigorously under the water. Pre-school children are confident to use spoons and tongs to serve their own food at lunchtime. Children access the 'self-care station' and look in the mirror to see if their face is clean. They brush their hair and use tissues to clean their noses.

All children, including those who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) take part in a wide range of activities. They are keen to learn and join in with sensory experiences, such as squeezing citrus fruit and exploring the textures of sand and shaving foam.

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

• The manager has successfully implemented changes that have improved staff practice and have helped staff to feel valued. A focus on supervision and staff's professional development and training has a positive impact on their confidence and understanding of how to promote children's learning. This results in all children receiving high-quality interaction from staff during their play.
• Staff work closely with parents to find out about the experiences children have at home. They take account of this information when planning which enables them to successfully broaden children's experiences as some children have fewer opportunities for outdoor play. They learn about the natural world as they plant seeds and fill a watering can, pouring it over to water them. Children develop their physical skills as they play skittles, learn to catch balls and build structures using large construction toys.
• Staff help children learn to play together and to respect one another. They talk to children about sharing and taking turns. One-to-one support for children who have SEND is effective in enabling them to take part in all the activities. Children are learning to manage their feelings and develop secure attachments and friendships.
• Since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the management team have made changes to the arrival times for the children. These are now staggered so parents do not all arrive at the same time and they use one of the entrances to the building that crosses the outside play area. However, this arrangement sometimes results in pre-school children's play and learning being disrupted because they have to tidy away and go inside during these arrival times.
• Staff know children well and plan an interesting range of activities. Children are curious and show a positive attitude towards their learning. They listen to staff as they talk to them during activities. Staff ask children about how the juice smells when they squeeze fruit. Children learn about how colours mix and change when they use felt tip pens on kitchen paper and watch how the colours seep out when they put it in water.
• Staff plan small group times for children that include discussions and stories to help develop their speaking and listening skills. However, occasionally, these group times are not effectively planned to fully support all the children who are involved. This results in some children becoming distracted and losing interest.
• Partnerships with parents are, generally, good. Parents speak mostly positively about their child's experience at the nursery and say that the staff provide them with information about their care routines and activities. Management and staff work closely with parents. They try to help parents understand the value of experiences, such as water and messy play and how these contribute to their children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of arrival procedures to ensure that activities outdoors can continue uninterrupted to fully promote children's focus on their learning
• focus more precisely on the planning of small group activities to ensure that all children can take part in a meaningful way.