Leasowes Extra

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders' and staffs' expert understanding of child development ensures that children receive an outstanding start to their education. Leaders place a strong focus on providing an inclusive provision. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have access to the same high quality experiences throughout the week, despite the days they attend. Staff implement the ambitious curriculum and plan the learning environments with precision to maximise every potential learning opportunity. This means that when children play without staff intervention, their learning remains a high quality.

Leaders identify the support for children's communication and language development as the 'golden thread' for their teaching and the learning provision. Children make outstanding progress from their starting points and gain a wealth of skills ready for school. For example, they listen to stories and accurately recall key language, and features. Children listen to what their friends say about the story and then add further information while avoiding repeating ideas.

Staff establish extremely clear boundaries and expectations with rules purposefully in place to keep children safe. Children fully understand these and talk about how they keep themselves safe when they play in the woodland area. Children's behaviour is always exemplary and respectful. Staff understand the needs of each child so they can precisely support any emotional insecurities that children experience, such as at the start of the day.

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

• Leaders are inspirational and meticulously review the quality of the provision. They dedicate whole days to the observation of staff practice and routines to identify where they can improve even further and monitor the impact of training initiatives. The new nursery lead has already made pertinent enhancements to their provision in the short time she has been in post. For example, to link closely children's play and language with the book of the week.
• Leaders provide staff with extensive professional development which ensures their knowledge and understanding continuously grows. They value the contributions of all members of the staff team. Recent training has focused on the consistent use of sign language to provide children with multisensory support for their language development.
• Staff apply their expert knowledge to analyse children's play and use of language. They use this information to provide each child with individual learning programmes and targeted intervention where needed. Teaching is matched specifically to the needs of children within a small group including opportunities for extension and support.
• The SENCo diligently monitors the progress that all children make and takes prompt action to intervene when children do not meet their development milestones. She liaises with all services available within the local authority to ensure that children with SEND have access to further professional support.
• The leaders' curriculum is bespoke to the needs of the children. It is designed to build on children's knowledge and skills throughout the year. Staff design a learning environment that fully motivates children to play and learn. This includes having precise learning intentions that staff also share with the children. This helps children to make connections with their learning and assess their own progress.
• Staff teach children how to access the learning resources. This helps children to understand what they are learning about and facilitates high quality play. The organisation of the daily routines ensures maximum engagement from children throughout the day.
• Phonics teaching is excellent and provides children with a secure foundation for their early literacy skills. Children identify the initial sound in a word. They can recall the corresponding letter, use their hands to sign the sound and represent this in their writing.
• Staff skilfully weave the mathematical curriculum into children's play experiences. Children match textures they can feel to animal patterns and images. They make links with three-dimensional shapes and independently find objects to match these, such as sphere, cylinder and cone.
• Staff support children's emotional development progressively throughout the year. In September, they focus on helping children to label, explain and understand their emotions. Staff then extend this to help children to develop empathy and understanding of the emotions of others.
• The close partnership with the onsite school enables children to become familiar with the wider school community and supports their transition. Staff plan frequent events with the school including the opportunities to read with older children and share their current learning with each other. The curriculum is designed to support children to be a positive citizen of the future. Children learn about the wider community and the various celebrations that take place.
• Staff enable partnership working with parents that benefits children fully. This supports continuity for children's learning at home, such as through the exchange of 'wow' moments between their key person and their parents. Parents appreciate the skill and sensitivity shown by staff when they support their children to manage any 'emotional wobbles' they have.