Kids Planet Rugeley

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff interactions with children are of a high quality, resulting in all children feeling safe and secure. For example, staff plan delightful ways to bond with children, including a 'baby spa' activity where babies sit happily engaging in a gentle foot massage. When young children raise up their arms, key persons instinctively give them a warm cuddle and reassurance. They frequently praise children, giving them clear explanations why their behaviour is excellent, which increases their self-confidence. Staff role model manners and polite behaviours, which children copy. For instance, babies use hand gestures to sign 'thank you'. Staff respectfully ask children if they are ready for a nappy change, and if they need any help, rather than doing things for them. This gives children the opportunities to make personal choices.

Children show exceptional independence from an early age. For instance, babies and toddlers collect their own beakers when they need a drink, learn to eat with cutlery and, with feedback and support from staff, clean their face with a wipe. Older children understand their role in a mixed-age group, such as carrying out simple tasks and being a good role model to their younger peers. Children learn through active engagement, first-hand experiences, and the exploration of ideas and materials. Staff intervene in children's play when necessary. For example, when children run around outdoors, staff quickly focus their physical skills by initiating a ball game, which further promotes children's social development.

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

• The manager provides staff with extensive training opportunities to build on their skills and interests. These include courses in relation to adverse childhood experiences to help staff understand the impact of these on children's development. There is a strong focus on staff well-being and growth, resulting in high levels of staff retention.
• Staff regularly analyse what different groups of children need to learn to create their bespoke curriculum. For instance, staff who work directly with toddlers focus their teaching on helping them to follow simple instructions so that they are well prepared for the next room. The environment, resources and activities that staff plan, including the books they read to children, are deliberately chosen to embed learning intentions.
• Room leaders proudly present their individual 'floor books' as evidence of a sequenced curriculum and children's outstanding progress. It is evident that children's experiences over time help them to accumulate strong knowledge and skills. For example, disadvantaged children who were once quiet now speak with confidence and fluency.
• Funding is used exceptionally well in partnership with parents and carers. For example, staff have made unique intervention boxes containing key resources tailored to children's specific needs and events in their lives, such as positive imagery relating to different family dynamics.
• Staff provide children with an extensive range of experiences to help them learn about the world around them, including trips to the local care home that encourage intergenerational relationships. When children show an interest in weddings, they visit a church and act out a 'scarecrow wedding', gaining a greater awareness of the special event. Staff liaise closely with all schools that children will eventually move on to and take children to meet their new teachers to prepare them for the move.
• Staff use children's interests to ignite their engagement and strengthen their communication skills and acquisition of new vocabulary. For instance, as toddlers explore a box of animals, they recall and group which ones live on land and in water. Babies listen to staff and copy animal sounds, while toddlers and older children learn unfamiliar words, such as 'salamander'.
• During the inspection there was an unplanned fire drill. Children were well practised and followed the correct procedures without hesitation. After the event, staff discussed the evacuation procedures further with children. The children know to call 999 in the event of an emergency. This promotes their safety and welfare.
• Relationships between staff and parents are superb. For instance, staff signpost parents to useful websites and external professionals to help them to improve children's situations. They organise drop-in sessions for parents to talk to the special educational needs coordinator should they have any concerns about children's development. Staff skilfully tailor home learning activities to meet children's individual needs, such as 'bubble blowing' activities that further help communication development at home. Parents speak highly of the setting and describe the team as 'brilliant'.
• Staff invite parents to share their different roles and talents. For example, parents who are professional hairdressers provide children with an enjoyable experience of what it is like to have their hair cut. Parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities report that this experience prepared their children positively for future visits to the barbers.
• Children become fully absorbed in physical activities where they use a variety of tools and mediums. For example, they cut up spinach with scissors and use a pestle and mortar to crush the leaves to make juice, which they later use to dye fabric. When toddlers walk their animal puppets across a raised plank of wood, staff prompt them to walk across too, promoting confidence in their physical skills. Children of all ages take part in regular outdoor activities designed by the internal sports coach to improve their balance, strength and coordination.