Leverstock Green Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at this welcoming setting. Staff promote the setting's ethos of treating children as individuals and take care in understanding their needs and interests. This sensitive approach aids children in settling and they become confident and independent in their play. Staff show children they are positive about learning and offer them praise and encouragement. Children respond to this, confidently trying new activities and often challenging themselves. For example, children challenge themselves to complete increasingly complex puzzles. They concentrate and persevere until they complete their task.

Thoughtful daily practice helps children to build a good appreciation of healthy lifestyles. For instance, children sing a song about 'catching' coughs and sneezes, talking about why this is important. Children have many opportunities that aid them in developing their physical skills. For example, they enjoy dance sessions, where they hop, wiggle and jump. Staff are good role models and have high standards regarding children's behaviour. They talk with them about this and help children to understand the effect they have on others. Children respond to this, for example, as they share the toys and resources. Ongoing explanations from staff support children in understanding safety. For instance, children understand why they need to allow each other space when doing exercises.

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

• The manager demonstrates a genuine enjoyment of her work and is committed to the ongoing development of the setting. She and the deputy manager act as good role models, sharing their enthusiasm and knowledge with staff. Staff receive practical supervision and report that they are well supported.
• Staff have a good understanding of the setting's curriculum. They use this to aid them in planning play opportunities that build logically on what children are learning. Staff ensure that activities reflect children's interests, helping to engage children and aiding them in making good progress. The manager's thorough monitoring ensures that any weaker areas in children's learning are quickly addressed. Staff are sensitive to the potential effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns and offer children additional support in developing their social skills.
• Staff promote children's language and communication skills well. Children enjoy listening to stories, where they often learn new vocabulary and join in with repeated refrains. They thoroughly enjoy group activities where they use their imagination and language skills to make up stories. For example, they describe how an imaginary frog hurt their leg and how they used worms, sausages and peanut butter to make a potion to make them better.
• Staff support older children to develop their skills and knowledge and to be ready to start school. They offer children small group activities which have more focus, while ensuring that children have fun as they learn. For example, children giggle as they catch a toy cat. They follow instructions and learn positional language as they place the cat under, behind and on a chair.
• Staff offer effective support to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, enabling them to make good progress. They build secure partnerships with other professionals, helping to ensure that children receive consistent care. Furthermore, staff use their good knowledge of children to utilise additional funding appropriately to help promote children's development.
• Parents speak highly of the setting. They particularly highlight the dedication staff show in understanding each child and supporting them to make good progress. Staff communicate very well with parents and the partnerships they build are a particular strength of this setting. Staff make excellent use of information from parents, for example, in understanding children's unique experiences and helping them to share these with others and appreciate diversity.
• Staff teaching skills are good, and on occasion, are of a higher quality. Children enjoy their interactions with staff. However, staff do not consistently promote children's development to the highest level possible.
• Daily routines during periods of transition, such as snacktime and lunchtime, are not always as well organised as possible. During these times, some children become restless and the noise levels rise. This makes it difficult for children to listen and engage.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to continue to develop their practice to raise the quality of teaching to a consistently high standard
• review the daily procedures at times of transition so that staff better support children to remain engaged.