Kindred Lowdham

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are given choices and their views are valued by staff, helping to create a culture of respect. For example, staff ask children in the pre-school room whether they want to play indoors or outdoors. Children in the baby room are asked to choose soft toys from a song bag to indicate which nursery rhyme they would like to hear to support their early speaking skills. Children show positive relationships with staff. For example, children in the toddler room laugh loudly when they listen to staff read funny stories. They rest their head on a member of staff's knee when they need a moment of calm and reassurance.

Children show that they enjoy the time they spend in the nursery garden. Children in the pre-school room show good balance and coordination when they climb over crates and down wooden ramps. Staff stand close to them to promote their safety and to offer them a helping hand if they need it. Children in the pre-school room are supported by staff to learn how to manage conflicts in their play. For example, when two children play with sand and want to use the same spades and forks, staff ask them what they could do. Children decide to let one child have the equipment for four minutes and then to swap.

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

• Staff support children to broaden their knowledge of different countries around the world, learning skills for the future. For example, staff help children to learn about Wales and the traditions and cultures that are in this country. Pre-school children say that there are lots of castles in Wales and they eat Glamorgan sausages. They talk about daffodils, dragons and leeks being connected to Wales.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well by the manager and staff. Additional funding is used effectively to provide one-to-one support from staff to meet children's individual needs. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to put targets in place to support children's learning and development. For example, staff using picture cards to help children to understand the routines in the day, promoting their emotional well-being.
• Overall, the manager helps staff to reflect on their practice well. Staff share knowledge from attending training courses to support children's communication skills. For example, they introduce sign language for children to use alongside their spoken words. However, staff in the baby room do not extend their knowledge of how to support children's large physical skills, which would help to challenge children further in this aspect of their learning.
• The manager and staff have a sequenced approach to supporting children's learning. This includes promoting children's self-care needs. For example, in the baby room, staff support children to use a spoon to eat. Children in the pre-school room are encouraged and shown how to use a knife and fork to eat.
• Staff plan activities to support children's learning. For example, staff working with toddlers show plenty of expression in their face and voice when they read stories to children. This helps to capture children's attention, helping them to develop a love of books. However, occasionally during planned experiences, the learning intentions for children are not fully supported. For example, when staff want children to learn about the texture of objects they play with, they do not introduce children to this concept in their play.
• The nursery cook offers children a range of healthy cooked meals to promote a healthy diet. Menus are shared with parents to keep them informed about what their children are eating during the day. Staff help children to understand about healthy foods and the impact these have on their bodies. Children say that the vegetables they eat at lunchtime will make them strong.
• Children are supported to understand the rules in the nursery. For example, children in the toddler room understand that when they play musical instruments and staff put their hand up, they need to stop playing. Staff say 'well done' and give children a 'high five' for their achievements, helping to raise their self-esteem.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to extend their professional development to help develop their knowledge of how to support children in the baby room to challenge their large physical skills
• support staff to strengthen the delivery of planned activities to include all identified learning intentions for children.