Kids Planet Poulton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff gather information from parents about children's interests, abilities and home experiences. They use this information well to help children to enter happily and settle quickly on arrival. Staff also provide experiences that children may not get at home, such as riding on a bus. Children build good relationships with staff. They approach staff for support when needed and demonstrate that they feel emotionally secure. Staff praise and encourage children as they play. They help children to consider the views of others, resolve differences and take responsibility for their behaviour. By the time they go to school, children have essential skills and knowledge and are ready to learn more.

There is a strong focus on developing children's communication and language. Staff talk with babies while changing nappies, which enables them to link words with actions. Staff listen carefully to children and introduce new words to their vocabulary. Children explain the meaning of words. For example, a child explains that ravenous means very hungry and that a telescope is used to see things that are far away. Older children talk confidently with others as they play. For example, outdoors, a child makes up a game using a bat, a ball and a hoop. She clearly explains the rules with other children who are keen to play. Staff help children to explore and share their ideas. For example, children experiment mixing different colours of paint and excitedly tell others how they have made different colours.

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

• The wider company is supporting the newly formed management and recently extended staff team well. Staff are steadily following an in-depth induction and training programme which is linked carefully to their role and development needs. Ongoing training and professional development opportunities help staff to extend their knowledge and personal effectiveness. However, the high-quality practice is not embedded securely and consistently across the nursery to enable all children to access the highest quality education.
• Staff implement a curriculum, which builds on what children already know and can do. They monitor children's progress carefully and work with parents to seek early help for those children who have emerging gaps in their learning and development. Staff work collaboratively with parents and other professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Information is available for parents on topics, such as oral health and the impact of dummies on speech development. Parents borrow activity bags and books which helps them to support children's learning at home. Some activity bags contain books and toys themed on supporting children's first experiences, such as expecting a new sibling or their first haircut or visit to the dentist.
• Parents speak positively about how much their children enjoy attending and the progress they have made. Staff communicate effectively with parents in a range of ways, including orally and through newsletters and electronic systems. Meetings and drop-in sessions are also held for parents, which keep them up to date on their children's learning.
• Strong, well-established links with the local community support children's understanding of the world. Children regularly visit the local care home. They talk to the residents as they play with equipment, such as threading toys and dough. Children visit places, including the library, station and local park. This enables children to communicate with a diverse range of people, which helps to prepare them for life in modern Britain.
• Visiting experts help staff to promote children's physical development and emotional well-being. For example, children practise breathing techniques with a visiting yoga teacher to help manage their emotions. Coaches from the local football club help children to develop multi-skills and ball techniques. Children develop confidence and agility with a dance teacher.
• Children help themselves to drinks of water when they are thirsty. They visit the local market regularly to look at and talk about the health benefits of different produce. Children handle different fruits and vegetables as they play with them in the role-play area. They also talk about and taste different fruits. These and other experiences support children's developing awareness of healthy choices.
• Children develop a keen interest in books. Staff plan experiences linked to stories. For example, children listen attentively to a story about a shark in a park. They demonstrate good recall as they discuss the story plot with each other. Children act out the story, which helps to develop their communication and language skills, physical coordination and creative skills. They play imaginatively using cardboard cones as telescopes to search for sharks.
• Children count and learn about shapes as they play, for example, while joining pieces of puzzles and construction sets together. They also use mathematics for a purpose. For example, children decide how many dinner plates are needed for the children sat at their table.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support the experienced, well-qualified staff to share their good skills and best practice with the newer staff members.