Kids Planet Heaton Mersey

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a calm and nurturing environment where children thrive. They are highly in tune with the needs of the children. Consequently, children are happy, well settled and secure. Staff skilfully role model the high expectations they have for children. Using toys, staff talk about feelings and displaying kindness. As a result, children demonstrate care and concern for others.

Through well-planned and thoughtful experiences, children rapidly learn new words. They excitedly recite their understanding of words, such as 'fragile', during story times. Staff regularly encourage children to recall their learning experiences. Children securely embed the knowledge they have learned. Staff incorporate imaginative play and singing into each child's day. This helps children's communication and language development effectively. Developing children's curiosity is a key strength of this setting. Babies excitedly develop a sense of oneself as staff play peekaboo with them using mirrors. Staff help toddlers to use their senses as they eagerly explore mint jelly. Purposely chosen resources in the pre-school role-play area prompt children's intrigue and encourage them to test out their own ideas. Children demonstrate extremely positive attitudes to learning new things.

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

• Staff help children to think critically. They use well-thought-out questions to encourage children to describe their understanding. For example, during children's spontaneous play, staff help them to test out and fluently explain their ideas of how objects balance. Children are becoming skilful communicators.
• The manager has designed a curriculum that considers the developmental needs of the children. Overall, staff use their interactions with children well to build on children's prior learning and implement the intended learning outcomes. However, this is not consistent throughout the setting. For example, children who are developing their self-care skills are occasionally not shown how to use their cutlery correctly. This does not consistently support children to make the highest levels of progress in their development.
• Staff successfully support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to make good progress. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) and staff work closely with parents and external agencies to help ensure targets are precisely tailored to develop children's individual needs. Children are making vast improvements from their starting points.
• Experiences to develop children's large-muscle movements are embedded throughout the setting. Staff create a stimulating and purposeful environment for babies. This encourages babies to develop the skills they need to learn to walk. Staff help older children understand how to manage risks. Children climb ladders to build 'skyscrapers', and they actively explore the local woodlands on their outdoor learning trips. Children are developing positive attitudes to being active.
• Staff develop children's interest in books. Their enthusiastic approach to storytelling captures children's engagement. This helps children develop their concentration for longer periods. Younger children excitedly choose books to sit and read with their key person as they point to pictures and say key words. Children are developing a love of reading.
• The manager and her staff promote healthy living. Children have daily access to fresh air in the engaging outdoor area or during walks in the local community. Staff talk to children about the importance of staying hydrated and choosing appropriate clothing for the weather. This helps promote children's health and well-being.
• Children are treated as individuals. Parents express how staff make every child feel special and unique. For children who become slightly overwhelmed during the day, staff seamlessly adapt routines to support their individual needs. This helps children feel secure.
• The key-person system is highly effective in meeting the needs of the children. Staff know all the children extremely well. They understand the importance of forming strong bonds with both the children and their families. As a result, children settle quickly. For example, staff gather detailed information from parents to help support the emotional development of babies when they first start attending the setting.
• Leaders have high ambitions for all children. This has created a team that continually reflects on its practice and assessments of children's learning. Staff quickly realise when certain skills, such as toilet training, need additional support and swiftly put strategies in place to promote this. This helps children make good progress in all areas of their development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to implement the intended learning intentions consistently during everyday experiences to extend children's skills and knowledge even further.