Kindred Hanwell

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children feel safe and secure in a homely environment, which respects them and their families as individuals. For example, children's family photos are displayed around the setting. This helps children to feel valued. Children explore a wide range of stimulating activities. They engage and develop their imaginations in pretend play with a variety of different dinosaurs. Children have opportunities to develop their mathematical understanding. They count their steps as they use the balancing equipment. Staff support children to develop their understanding by using language such as 'more', 'small' and 'heavy', as children explore the water area. This helps to broaden children's knowledge of measurements.

Children have opportunities to develop their physical skills. For example, they climb up hills and manoeuvre over tyres in the garden. Younger children develop their confidence when taking steps. Overall, children engage well with each other. They are confident within the setting. Children form positive attachments with staff. They are confident to approach staff for reassurance when needed. For example, younger children enjoy cuddles. Children benefit from positive interactions with caring staff. They are grouped according to attachments that they make with staff. This supports children to develop meaningful relationships.

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

• Staff know children well. They identify where children are currently within their development. Staff have a clear understanding of each child's next steps in learning. They make plans to support children to develop to their full potential. Staff can identify when children need extra support. They work with parents to provide intervention strategies to help each individual child to make progress.
• Children engage well with a music session, which has been sourced from outside of the setting. Leaders identified that the current children did not experience these types of sessions due to groups not operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. These sessions help children to develop their social skills and awareness of rhymes.
• Staff generally support children to learn the nursery's rules. For example, when engaging in play activities, they talk to children about sharing and turn-taking. Staff support children's behaviour with visual aids, which are displayed around the setting. However, this is not consistent. When children take toys from each other, staff do not consistently explain and support children to understand the concept of turn-taking. This means that children do not always understand expectations and boundaries.
• Leaders can identify the setting's strengths, as well as areas that they would like to develop. They continuously review practice and develop ways to enhance the experiences and opportunities that children access. Leaders identify training opportunities for staff. Staff have plenty of opportunities to enhance their professional development.
• Pre-school children are encouraged to be independent. For example, they serve themselves at mealtimes and hang up their own coats. These skills support children to prepare for the next stage of their education. However, this is not consistent. Younger children are not always given the opportunity to try to achieve tasks for themselves or learn to develop their independence skills.
• Children have plenty of opportunities to develop their language skills and extend their vocabularies. Staff use repetition to support children with their communication. They sing to children to support their understanding. For example, staff sing 'roll, roll, roll' as younger children explore play dough. As children develop their language skills, staff introduce new words and ideas. For example, staff engage children in conversations about the characteristics of different animals. Children show a love for learning new facts.
• Children enjoy story sessions. Staff read stories to children and ask them questions to develop their understanding. For example, they ask children questions about animals and their young. This helps children to develop their understanding of the world.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents speak positively about the information that they receive on their children. Children form positive attachments with staff. Parents comment that they are happy knowing that their children are in caring hands.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help children to extend their understanding of how to behave when playing with other children
• ensure that younger children have consistent opportunities to develop their independence skills.