Kid's Rock Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle well into purposeful play. They freely access the engaging and well-equipped environment. Staff are ambitious about what they want children to achieve. Even the smallest routine task is used to embed and consolidate learning. For example, children learn to recognise letters as they find theirs and others' names at registration. They use their thinking skills as they predict which friends will arrive next. They practise their mathematical skills as they work out how many children will be in pre-school.

Staff work together with children. They gather children's ideas to plan meaningful learning opportunities. Staff carefully consider the most important skills they want children to learn next. The curriculum is sequenced for children's individual needs and learning styles well. Staff provide hands-on activities that inspire children's curiosities, such as science-based experiments. Such activities develop children's awareness of how things work as well as supporting them to think carefully and critically. This in turn supports children's ability to apply their developing thinking skills across all areas of their learning. As a result, they develop confidence to communicate their knowledge and make good progress.

Staff provide specific support and guidance for individual children. They enable children to be themselves while learning appropriate behaviours and boundaries. Children know the routines of the session very well. They transition into different parts of the session with very little prompting. Consequently, children have positive attitudes to learning, and their behaviour is very good.

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

• Staff promote children's positive attitudes to learning well. They respond to children's interests with linked activities that introduce new skills. For example, children use their imagination to make and sell popcorn during role play. Following this, staff create opportunities for children to learn about where popcorn comes from, to learn new vocabulary such as 'kernel' and 'puff' and conduct experiments. Children experience, through hands-on exploration, a broad and rich awareness of new knowledge.
• Literacy is a strength. Staff provide a vast range of fiction and non-fiction books across the provision. Children are routinely given books to take home to read with parents. Children seek out staff to read their favourite stories to them. Staff read stories to children with expression, which encourages children to listen well. Children, including those who speak English as an additional language, routinely hear a wide range of vocabulary. They develop a love of books and the joy that stories and researching using books bring.
• Staff reflect on how the environment supports children's early writing skills. For example, staff place pens, pencils and paper around the provision. They provide opportunities for children to practise early writing skills. Children are encouraged to write for a purpose, making signs and lists and completing safety checks. They learn how useful their emergent writing is for the future.
• Staff have accurate and detailed knowledge about children's development. They are clear about what they want children to learn next. However, sometimes, some staff are less informed about how to deliver what they intend for children to learn. Occasionally, some staff do not provide high-quality interactions with children that support the intended learning. At these times, staff do not precisely support children's learning needs.
• Staff plan opportunities for children to develop their awareness of lives and cultures different to their own. For example, staff use Burns Night to introduce children to new knowledge. Staff encourage children to notice patterns in tartan material. Children have a go at moving their bodies to music like Scottish dancers. Children develop an awareness of the world around them.
• Staff work in partnership with other professionals and settings that children attend. For example, they mirror behaviour support to help children to engage well and carry on learning seamlessly. They ensure continuity of support and information-sharing to benefit children's learning.
• Overall, staff have good professional development opportunities. This helps them to carry out their roles well. For example, staff attend training that has developed their knowledge of assessments. They discuss planning ideas among the team. Staff report that they feel supported by leaders and they enjoy their work. However, leaders do not sharply focus professional development opportunities to provide staff with individual targeted support. This means that some staff are not aware of how they can further develop the quality of their teaching to support children's learning even further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• embed the curriculum learning intent more securely, so that all staff consistently deliver teaching to support individual children's developmental needs more precisely
• strengthen supervision arrangements to provide staff with targeted support to help them develop their teaching and high-quality interactions further.