Kids Planet Knowsley Safari

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly and have formed close bonds with their key person. Babies delight in staff building towers of blocks with them, which they quickly knock down. Children benefit from playing outdoors, where staff support them in developing their physical skills on the balancing equipment. Older children take pleasure in sharing songs and stories with staff. Staff encourage storytelling using props, small-world figures and role play to help extend children's ideas and interests. Children benefit from visits to the safari park, where they experience the animals in their natural habitats, explore the nature trail and watch the animal shows. The outdoor classroom provides an array of learning, such as growing plants and exploring nature, which promotes children's knowledge of the outdoor environment.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They instil good routines and boundaries to help children know what to expect, and they promote good manners and politeness when communicating with adults and their peers. Staff teach children about democracy by encouraging them to vote for their favourite stories to read at circle time. Staff sit with children at mealtimes, where they engage in conversations and promote independence in preparation for moving to the tepee or to school nursery. Children learn to pour their own drinks and to self-serve their food. Children have the opportunity to practise their developing skills at 'cooking club' where they make milk shakes and pizzas.

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

• Providers swiftly identify any breaches to requirements and take immediate action to mitigate potential risks. For example, staff monitor and re-evaluate risk assessments and policies to ensure that they meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and keep children safe. Providers ensure that any new policies and procedures are shared with staff and parents and immediately implemented. This ensures that children are kept safe.
• Leaders have a clear intent for their curriculum. Staff plan and have a clear intent for adult-led activities. They know what they want children to learn to support their needs. However, opportunities for child-led learning do not always support children's interests and the next steps in their learning. As such, children may not have opportunities to practise and build on what they know and can do.
• Staff narrate children's play and ask questions, which helps to extend their learning further. However, staff do not always remove dummies when encouraging younger children to talk. As such, younger children are not always given the opportunity to practise their growing vocabulary.
• Staff support children with transitions, such as on entry to the setting or when moving rooms. They show children how to deal effectively with their feelings, emotions and emotional regulation. This helps children to develop a healthy attitude to emotions and feelings and to understand the effect their behaviours may have on others.
• Provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is effective. Staff work closely with other professionals to ensure that any plans are implemented to help children to make progress towards their individual goals. As such, all children make progress, regardless of their needs and abilities.
• Parents are happy with the care their children receive. They feel the nursery is supportive and accommodating of their needs and those of their children. Staff keep parents fully informed and involved in their child's learning, with regular updates and meetings. This helps to ensure a consistent approach to learning and development.
• Staff attend mandatory training, such as paediatric first aid and safeguarding, as part of their induction. Through a robust programme of training and supervision, staff are supported to continue their professional development by identifying their skills and areas for improvement. This helps staff to identify their own training needs and work to improve their teaching and learning to a high quality.
• Leaders promote the well-being of staff and a healthy work-life balance. They offer incentives, celebrate their work and achievements and offer support where needed. This empowers staff to have a positive attitude to work, which enhances their interactions and care with the children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure that the intent for child-led learning is clear, supports children's interests and helps them to build on what they already know
• enhance further the promotion of speech and language by limiting the use of dummies to enable children to respond more easily and use their increasing vocabulary.