Little Muddy Me

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish and enjoy their time at this nurturing and very inclusive setting. Overall, staff provide good levels of support for children's learning and development. This outdoor setting is equipped with exciting and interesting resources. Children adore the endless real-life experiences and explorations outdoors as they discover and learn about the world they live in. Children join together on projects such as planting. They take safe risks as they climb up the slide and proudly show how well they can balance along equipment. Staff are sensitive, gentle and calm in their interactions with children. They form close bonds and know how to support children who require more reassurance. This ensures that children's individual needs are recognised and met.

Staff regularly review and adapt the curriculum for the needs of the children attending, with a strong focus on supporting communication and language skills. Staff get to know children well and find out about what interests and inspires them. Children who need extra help, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are given resources that enable them to become explorers and curious learners. Children independently move around the setting, understand the routine of the day and know what is expected of them. Staff frequently praise children and encourage their self-esteem. Children develop positive attitudes to learning and make good progress as a result of the careful way staff help them to build on their achievements.

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

• The provider is ambitious and has a clear vision for the setting. The team continuously reflects on how it can improve. Staff comment that they love working at the setting and feel valued and supported. Staff are able to develop their practice further through attending training. For example, recent training has enhanced their understanding of sensory and autism awareness.
• Staff are knowledgeable and skilful in supporting children who are verbal to gain good speech and language skills. Children with minimal or delayed speech and language benefit from effective targeted interventions. They also learn Makaton sign language to help them to communicate. All children become captivated as staff read familiar stories, such as 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. Staff provide exciting opportunities for children to re-enact the story. Staff expertly join in with the children's pretend play, encouraging them as they excitedly run away from the bear.
• Overall, staff interact positively to support children's learning. They follow children's lead and help to develop their interests and curiosity. Staff use repetition and descriptive language and offer an ongoing narrative as children play. Although staff provide a range of fun activities, they do not always consider how to focus on fully extending children's individual skills to help deepen their knowledge and raise the standard of learning that children receive.
• Children have many opportunities to develop physically. Staff recognise the importance of developing their gross motor skills. Children practise and refine their skills and confidence as they negotiate space on scooters, climb trees and slides, swing in hammocks and balance along ropes and logs.
• Overall, lunch and snack times are generally supportive of the children's needs. Staff talk to the children about the benefits of healthy eating. However, at times, staff deployment is not always fully effective to support good health and hygiene routines. For example, although children are able to choose when they would like to eat, staff do not monitor handwashing routines effectively and, on occasion, children walk around with food.
• Meticulous care is given to meet children's specific and sometimes highly complex needs. Staff communicate regularly with parents and outside professionals, such as occupation therapists and speech and language therapists. This means that all staff understand the detailed plans for the care they offer and ensure they are followed. Leaders make effective use of funding. They direct this very successfully towards meaningful experiences for children, resulting in very positive outcomes for all children.
• Children's emotional well-being is given unquestionable priority. Children learn how to express and understand their feelings through books, songs and coordinated sensory resources. Staff are sensitive and attentive to all children, showing genuine care. When children struggle to regulate their emotions, staff promptly and confidently provide reassurance and instigate a cuddle.
• Parents speak highly of the setting and the good communication they have with staff about children's learning and progress. Staff share children's next steps with parents and provide support to help their learning at home. This supports a consistent approach to children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff in recognising the rich and spontaneous opportunities that arise to further challenge children in their learning
• review how staff are deployed at snack and mealtimes to ensure that health and hygiene routines are effective and consistently followed.