Kids Planet Sale

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff warmly welcome children and consider how to personalise ways to help them to settle in if they feel overwhelmed. They give children a teddy bear when they arrive to support them to be ready for the day ahead. This helps children to feel at ease and safe, as well as to develop a sense of belonging.

Staff provide high-quality resources that encourage children to be independent and curious learners. Younger children have plenty of time to self-select resources and test out their own ideas. They develop their imaginative role-play skills using tea sets with their favourite toys and dolls. Staff offer prompts in the moment to extend play, such as adding tea bags and water to the role play. Older children are introduced to new learning. Staff then give children time to re-enact and revisit learning at their own pace. For instance, staff set up a shop to develop children's counting and social interaction skills with each other. First, the shop game is role modelled by staff, then children have time to revisit and recall learning as the shop keeper or customer. Across all age ranges, children excitedly join in, listening well to staff. Children develop a thirst for learning, which helps them to make good progress.

Supporting children's social and emotional skills is a key focus of the curriculum. Staff help children to learn appropriate behaviours and how their actions can affect others. As a result, children show age-appropriate behaviours and develop an awareness of the needs of others.

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

• Despite staff recruitment challenges, leaders strive to maintain coaching and ongoing support tailored to individuals. They ensure that new staff have appropriate induction and ongoing training to fulfil their roles. This helps to ensure that children receive good-quality continuity of care and learning.
• Staff adapt the curriculum based on children's changing needs, current interests and their gaps in learning. They routinely work together and discuss their observations of what their key children have already learned and what they need to focus on next. This means that all staff contribute effectively to help children make good progress.
• Staff use visual prompts, books and role modelling to help children to learn about and manage their emotions. Children learn a range of movements they can use to express how they feel using their bodies. For example, they learn to push their hands against a wall, like a dinosaur, if they feel angry. This helps children to begin to self-regulate. In addition, staff read stories and introduce props, such as a sleeping puppy toy to pass around and gently stroke. This helps children to develop a meaningful understanding of empathy and kindness.
• A physical development specialist works with older children daily. Children learn about the benefits of exercise on their body. The specialist teacher plans exciting games that help children to develop their full range of large-muscle skills. They work alongside other staff to contribute to children's wider learning. For example, during these sessions, children carry out small tasks to help others. They practise their independence skills as they hand out the water glasses. As children move their bodies, they practise their counting skills as they shout out the number of obstacles they move around. This helps to support children's development across the seven areas of learning.
• Most staff support children's communication and language development well. However, staff working with the younger age groups do not always fully support children who speak English as an additional language (EAL). Staff do not always explore what children know and can do when using their home languages to help inform a highly accurate assessment of children's learning needs. In addition, staff do not consistently gather and use information about children's home language to inform their assessments of what children know and can do prior to them starting. Consequently, some children's learning is not always sequenced effectively to enhance their learning experiences.
• Children participate in regular trips out of the nursery. They develop their awareness of the wider world through visits to the local care home, library, shops and leisure centre. Visitors come to the nursery to talk about their professions, including a local beekeeper and dentist. These real-life experiences give children opportunities to develop their awareness of their place in society.
• Home learning opportunities are provided in abundance. Children take kits home to make autumn soup, which helps to support healthy eating habits. Parents can borrow a bag of resources and a guide. These help to develop children's awareness of positional language. In addition, it supports children to reinforce their understanding of vocabulary, such as 'underneath' or 'above'. These opportunities are carefully planned to help children to continue their progress in learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen assessment of children's prior knowledge and experiences, in particular for children who speak EAL or hear additional languages at home, to inform curriculum planning.