Kidz Corner Childcare Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop positive relationships with the friendly staff team. Although many of the children have not been in attendance for long, staff know them well. Staff gather detailed information from parents on entry, such as children's likes, interests and prior achievements. This, along with the attentive nature of the staff, means that children are supported effectively to settle quickly in the welcoming setting.

Staff understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on children's progress. They focus their attention on supporting children to develop their personal, social and emotional skills to help to prepare them for their future learning. Children are independent and make choices about what they would like to play with. Children as young as two years of age are encouraged to solve their own simple problems. For example, staff encourage children to turn the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and to keep on trying until they fit.

Children are happy, safe and behave well. They confidently talk to authorised visitors and invite them to join in with their play. For example, children excitedly talked to the inspector about the building work they can see in progress in their local community. They pointed out the different machinery they can see and delighted in discussing what it is used for.

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

• Staff develop a curriculum based upon children's interests and their knowledge of what the children need to learn next. They observe children as they play and quickly identify any emerging gaps in their learning. Staff work in partnership with a range of outside agencies to help to ensure that all children receive the support they need to make good progress.
• Children enjoy the time that they spend in the setting. They confidently explore the environment indoors and outside. Children are encouraged to have a go and try out their ideas. They gather the resources needed for a task and help each other as they play. Staff gently remind children of any risks and support them to manage these effectively and stay safe. For example, children are reminded to be mindful of where they put their feet on the small climbing frame, in order to maintain their balance. As a result, children are learning how to keep themselves safe.
• Staff talk to children about what they see them doing. They introduce new words as children play. For example, as children gather and explore a variety of natural resources outdoors, staff introduce the word 'potion' to describe children's creations. Children are encouraged to engage in conversations and share their thinking. Staff successfully employ a range of different strategies to support children who may experience difficulty with their speech.
• Children are supported well to develop a love of books and stories. Staff provide cosy and inviting reading areas, where children handle books with care. Children of all ages enjoy looking at picture books and listen intently as staff read stories in an expressive way. Older children learn how to recognise the sounds that letters represent in spoken words. However, occasionally, some staff do not pronounce these sounds correctly as they teach.
• Leaders place high priority on staff well-being. They ensure that staff are offered a wide range of emotional support, particularly during the pandemic. Staff are happy and feel well supported in their roles. They have regular access to training and opportunities to share their views and opinions. However, not all staff receive precise feedback on their teaching skills frequently enough to support them in developing their practice further.
• Parents are very complimentary about the partnerships with staff. Daily updates between parents and staff help to share children's achievements and their changing care and learning needs. Parents appreciate the introduction of electronic methods of communication.
• Staff provide a wide range of healthy and nutritious snacks throughout the day. They carefully consider children's individual requirements and remind children of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Staff provide a range of information to support parents in providing a healthy and nutritious variety of food for their children's packed lunch.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• assist staff to understand the importance of pronouncing the sounds that letters represent in spoken words correctly in order to support older children's developing communication and language skills
• strengthen professional development to include precise targets for staff, to help to improve the quality of practice to the highest level.