Little Monkeys Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at the playgroup. They run into the room, saying 'hello' to the staff and their friends. Children demonstrate their previous learning as they independently hang up their belongings and rush over to join in with the interesting activities staff have set up for them. Staff show a genuine interest in the children they care for and engage them in discussions about their home life. They use the information they gain to help provide experiences for children. For example, some children tell staff they have been on a pumpkin walk with their family. As a result, staff set up experiences for them to explore pumpkins further by bringing them into the playgroup to see how they look and taste.

Staff provide activities to support children's communication and social interactions. For instance, children are encouraged to join in group-time sessions. Staff capture the children's interest as they read familiar stories. Children listen enthusiastically and become deeply engaged. They finish the staff's sentences and are encouraged to recall what happens next in the story.

Staff are good role models for children and have a calm, caring nature. They are quick to celebrate children's achievements, giving them a 'high five', and encourage children to share these with others. This instils acts of kindness in children. For instance, they draw pictures for their peers and ask their friends if they are 'okay'. They remind them to 'go steady' when they stumble off their scooter.

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

• Staff are safety conscious and communicate with one another to ensure good deployment. Children start to understand how to keep themselves safe as they participate in familiar daily routines. For instance, before they make their way to the playground, they find a partner to hold hands with, and they line up and follow instructions from staff. Children learn to behave well and negotiate with others. On the rare occasions that staff need to remind children about the rules, children listen and respond positively. For example, when children have a disagreement over a ride-on toy, staff get down to the children's level and talk about turn-taking. This helps the children learn to negotiate and make the right choices.
• Overall, children's physical development is promoted well by staff. Toddler and pre-school-age children enjoy their time outside, using lots of large-muscle movements. Staff teach children how to ride on scooters. This helps to develop their balance and coordination. Children negotiate the steps to the climbing frame and go down the slide with confidence. However, staff do not always provide very young children with opportunities to build on their core strength in readiness for walking.
• Children develop their imagination during play and link it to real-life experiences. Staff encourage them to work cooperatively during role play. For instance, children gather chairs and put them in rows. They talk together about going on an aeroplane and needing their suitcases and passports. One child collects play cards and hands them out, saying, 'These are the passports.' They say they are going to 'Peppa Pig World' and have their tickets ready.
• Staff find out from parents if their children attend other settings. However, partnership working with these settings is not yet fully embedded. Information is not routinely shared to gain an understanding of where children are at in their learning. Consequently, staff do not have an accurate understanding of children's progress in other settings.
• The manager and staff work well together as a strong team. Staff state they feel valued and have appraisals to discuss training needs, such as for safeguarding and paediatric first aid. That said, staff are not always provided with individually tailored coaching to help them to be more confident in their role and improve the outcomes for children.
• Parents speak very highly of the playgroup. They comment on how well the staff know their children and put them at the centre of everything they do. Parents say that settling-in sessions are tailored for the individual child, and they are introduced to their child's key person from the outset. They feel well informed and know where their child is in their development. Additionally, staff share activity ideas for home learning to help parents further support children's progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consistently provide experiences for children that promote their next stage of learning and development
• engage with other settings that children also attend, to share information to further support the children's learning and progression
• strengthen arrangements for staff supervision to identify individual targeted support, to improve outcomes for children.