Little Elms @ Peninsula

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children build strong relationships with staff from the start. New children are extremely well supported as staff quickly get to know their individual needs. Staff tailor their interactions to help children to feel safe and secure. For example, they speak to children in their home languages where possible. Babies and young children enjoy cuddles and snuggle up to staff to share books and rhymes. Pre-school children confidently explore the wide range of exciting activities which staff plan. They are extremely curious to experiment as they mix ingredients to make play dough. Staff encourage children to use their senses to explore the texture and smell of herbs and fruit.

Children learn to follow simple rules and help to tidy up their toys before meals. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and teach children to take turns when playing simple games. Children are friendly and play well together. The management team is highly ambitious for children to succeed and make good progress. It supports staff to plan stimulating learning opportunities that enable children to build on their knowledge and abilities. For example, they sequence their teaching to develop children's physical skills. Babies have opportunities to pull themselves up and crawl on the climbing frame. Older children develop these skills further as they join in with action songs and run in the outdoor area.

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

• Staff plan learning opportunities that stimulate children's interest and engagement. For example, toddlers enjoy repeatedly making sand castles and knocking them down. Babies are curious to explore the texture of paint and paintbrushes. As a result, children learn to concentrate and persevere in their play.
• Overall, staff are clear about the learning intentions of focused activities. Staff generally use their interactions well to engage children in meaningful play, such as demonstrating how to build towers with blocks. There are times when their are gaps in staff's own knowledge of the subjects they are teaching which limits how far they can extend children's learning. However, this does not impact on children making good progress overall.
• There are strong systems in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff have developed links with other professionals to gain an understanding of how to best to meet children's needs. As a result, there are detailed individual care plans in place and these children make good progress.
• Partnership with parents is good. There are systems in place to share information about things that impact on children's well-being. For example, staff know which children have recently returned from holiday or have a new baby at home. Staff therefore tailor their care to ensure that children's emotional needs are identified and met well.
• Children learn to regulate their own behaviour. Staff use effective systems to support children through transitions, such as using picture timetables and giving a warning before tidy up time, which helps children to regulate their emotions and behaviour.
• Staff have a good understanding of how to support children's communication and language development. They use repeated words, such as 'tap, tap' and 'smash, smash', as toddlers play with sand, which teaches children new vocabulary. Babies enjoy joining in with familiar songs that give them confidence to make sounds.
• Staff teach children to meet their own needs. Older children serve their own meals and scrape their plates after lunch. Younger children learn to put on their shoes and coats by themselves. This helps children to gain confidence and become independent, which prepares them well for starting school.
• Staff teach children to follow simple rules. For example, they remind toddlers not to take toys on the climbing frame and help older children to wash their hands before meals. Children develop an understanding of when they are at risk and how to keep themselves safe.
• The management team is highly reflective and take steps to continuously improve the quality of care. Staff receive clear guidance and training for their role. Managers are good role models and coach staff to develop their skills and knowledge. There is a strong emphasis on supporting staff's well-being. Staff say they feel extremely well supported.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop their knowledge of the subjects they teach so they can extend children's learning even further.