Kids Planet Wyke

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children form secure emotional attachments with the nurturing manager and staff, who are warm and affectionate. Staff speak to children in a calm and respectful manner. Children are very happy, settled and well behaved. They are encouraged to be independent and select what they would like to do. Toddlers are quickly absorbed in creating cupcakes with dough, herbs and spices. They take turns to sprinkle a choice of different-smelling toppings. Older children read books to each other and talk about what they will draw together.

Children of all ages thoroughly enjoy playing outdoors. They choose from a wide range of resources and activities to support their imaginative and physical play. Children develop their fine motor skills as they make marks on a wall with water and paintbrushes, trying hard to write the initial letters of their name. Staff encourage children to explore their large-muscle skills. For instance, children learn to balance on stepping stones independently and push themselves around on ride-on tricycles.

Staff constantly model how to behave, and children respond well to their gentle reminders. Children are kind and caring towards one another. For instance, they take pride in holding the door open for their friends when they return indoors, and enjoy helping staff to prepare tables for meals. This helps children to develop important social skills to be ready for their move on to school.

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

• The curriculum is planned and organised well by the manager. Staff know the children in their care well. They can confidently talk about their key children and understand how to build on what each child already knows. Overall, children make good progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, on occasion, staff working with the most-able children do not focus their interactions on children's curiosity and questions. This does not help to fully extend and challenge all children to reach their maximum potential.
• Staff are keen to help children to develop confident communication skills. For example, they consistently use the correct version of words when talking with younger children, such as repeating 'thank you' for 'ta' and 'banana' for 'nana'. Staff use an excellent commentary to explain what is happening or what will happen next. This helps to widen children's vocabulary skills, in particular to describe how they are feeling. Younger children show that they understand and follow simple instructions using sounds and gestures. Older children speak confidently and listen well.
• Partnership working with parents is strong. Staff provide families with story sacks, home learning kits and opportunities for stay-and-play sessions. Staff keep parents well informed about their children's development and share daily digital messages of their daily routines and learning. Parents and carers speak very highly of the manager and staff. They describe them as 'wonderful' and say that 'they always go that extra mile' for their children. For instance, parents value help from staff to support their children with potty training, and using the 'drop the dummy tree' to help with their speech development.
• Children develop their understanding of the community and the wider world. Staff help children to support a variety of groups in the local area, where they learn about other people. For example, they attend Remembrance Day commemorations. Children learn respect and to be tolerant of others' views.
• Overall, children are beginning to develop a good awareness of number and mathematical concepts. Staff model counting and comparing of objects as children are engaged in play. For instance, staff count aloud as children climb steps up the slide. However, at times, staff do not consistently extend children's mathematical understanding when they are keen to know more. For example, staff do not consistently build on children's interests to count, divide and share, estimate volumes, and count to bigger numbers.
• The leadership team and manager constantly reflect on staff's practice. Staff prioritise their training to help them to build their knowledge to support children and families. For example, they have attended training on intensive interactions to support children with SEND and specialist training for 'blossoming' babies.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend staff's skills in recognising how to support the most-able children's ideas and learning during their play and activities
• ensure that staff consistently extend all children's understanding of mathematical development and problem-solving skills.