Kids Planet Whiston

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive to a warm welcome by caring staff at the nursery. They show that they feel safe and secure, as they enthusiastically explore the well-resourced environment. Staff encourage children to express themselves and be imaginative as they create role-play scenarios. Children use tyres and wooden planks to make a 'bus'. They sit together with staff and sing songs as they go off on an imaginary trip together. Children have formed strong relationships with the staff and each other.

Staff are calm and provide consistent expectations. They support children to discuss their feelings. As staff read stories to children, they encourage them to consider the feelings of the characters in the book. Children demonstrate kind behaviours. They use a stethoscope to check that their friends are 'not poorly'. As they notice bird's nests in the trees outside, they eagerly gather resources to make bird feeders. Children behave well and demonstrate considerate behaviours.

The leaders and staff have high expectations for all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They have designed an aspirational curriculum and supported staff to be clear about what they intend for children to learn. Leaders use assessment well and link with other professionals when they identify that children may benefit from extra help in their learning. All children make good progress from their starting points and are prepared for the next stage in their education.

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

• Children's communication and language skills are prioritised by staff. Staff and children spontaneously sing and dance throughout the day. Staff introduce, repeat and explain the meaning of key words as they engage in conversations with children. This broadens children's vocabulary and helps babies to learn their first words. Children are supported to be confident communicators.
• Staff support children's physical development well. They provide children with a variety of opportunities to be physically active. Staff promote children's large physical skills as they encourage them to balance on small planks and as they push heavy objects in wheelbarrows. Babies are provided with a range of exciting activities that encourage them to crawl and take their first steps. Children gain high levels of confidence in their physical abilities.
• Staff support all children to develop an appreciation for books. They read aloud to children in an exciting way. Children use words such as title and spine to refer to parts of the books as they share stories together. As children show an interest in owls, staff encourage them to find books in the room about owls to extend this interest further. Children are provided with a lending library where they can extend their love of books by taking stories home to share with their families.
• The manager's intent for children to become independent is implemented well. From the baby room, children wash their own hands and feed themselves. Older children help to serve their own meals and put on their own coats. They independently find their name card as they arrive. They ask staff to mix up the names so they can find their names again. Children develop confidence and take great pride in being able to do things for themselves.
• Staff work effectively with parents to support children to settle into the setting. Parents are kept informed about their children's learning through daily discussions and online communication. Staff provide parents with home learning suggestions, such as activity bags to support children's next steps in learning. These effective partnerships support consistency for children and help them to make good progress.
• Leaders have taken action in response to weaknesses they identified in staff's understanding of how to effectively risk assess the premises. They have provided additional training for staff to ensure these policies are consistently followed. The enthusiastic manager provides staff with a range of support and training. She has a clear oversight of the strengths of the team and uses these strengths throughout the setting. However, leaders do not monitor what staff have learned and how they are embedding this new knowledge. Some staff need further support to address minor inconsistencies in policy and practice.
• Overall, routines are well planned to meet the needs of the children. Staff provide stimulating activities that engage the interests of all children. However, at times some staff are focused on the routine or activity at the time and do not always consider effective ways to adapt to further meet children's needs. For example, some transition times are not organised effectively to ensure that children do not have to wait for prolonged periods. Although children are well supported at these times, they are not as engaged as they are getting tired and hungry.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• monitor the impact of training and coaching to ensure staff's learning is implemented consistently
• support staff to understand how to adapt routines and activities to consistently meet children's needs and enhance their learning.