Little Starlings

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly greeted and arrive happy and eager to begin their day. They form strong bonds with their key person, seeking them out for cuddles and to share stories. Staff are attentive to children and consider their interests when planning an engaging environment. Children show high levels of focus as they use their imagination and fine motor skills to decorate birthday cupcakes. Staff support children to use props and art activities to teach them about emotions. This helps develop children's language so they can express how they and others might be feeling.

Practical life skills are embedded throughout the curriculum as children independently put on their belongings and complete simple hygiene tasks. They delight as they pick activities from the choosing shelf to enhance their problem-solving and fine motor skills. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children receive meaningful praise and encouragement, when they take turns and share.

Children relish regular opportunities to be outdoors, learning about nature and engaging in physical play. They climb apparatus, mount stairs and use bikes in the garden. Children engage in weekly sustainability activities, as they learn about bees and grow peas to make pesto. This helps them understand their role in looking after the environment.

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

• Leaders and staff show a genuine passion about giving children the best start in life. The curriculum on offer aims to give children the knowledge and skills to prepare them for future learning. For example, staff encourage children's confidence and support them to become skilful communicators.
• Children engage in a rich set of experiences learning about the local community. Professionals from the police and fire service visit and share their knowledge. Children take regular visits to shops, libraries and parks. This helps broaden their knowledge of the world around them.
• Children enjoy participating in daily routines. During circle time, they follow simple instructions, they say good morning and recite their names. They excitedly use props to vote for their favourite songs to sing, and join in with the actions. This supports their communication and an understanding of democracy.
• Children develop early technology skills using a microphone and a speaker as they confidently sing and dance to their favourite rhymes. They show early mark-making skills using tablets and a light board, which enhances skills for later life.
• Staff meet regularly to discuss children's outcomes and leaders use supervision sessions to support staff well-being. Staff attend training and children benefit from well-planned activities. However, on occasions, intended learning within activities is not always clear to staff.
• Children actively develop their imagination, initiate their own ideas and build on their knowledge. For example, during a shopping role-play actively children use early mathematics, ask shoppers about the weather and if they have their discount card. Staff encourage children to problem solve by asking thought-provoking questions, which helps sustain their interests.
• Staff support children to adopt a healthy lifestyle and discuss the benefits of healthy foods during snack times. They remind children to wash their hands and drink water regularly. They support children's communication using open-ended questions and strategies, such as sign language and visual time tables. This helps children to develop their communication skills.
• Parent partnerships are very strong. They are extremely complimentary about staff and the progress their children are making. A well-established key-person system is in place. Parents are regularly informed about how their children are doing alongside their achievements. Staff share information to extend learning further at home so that children receive consistent support in their progress.
• Leaders are reflective, ambitious and committed to providing the best possible experiences for children. They regularly seek feedback from staff and parents, which supports continuous improvement. Leaders have a clear vision for areas of development, such as further training and more outings in the community. Leaders maintain effective links with the local authority and other professionals, which further enhances the quality of teaching.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support and monitor staff practice, to refine the delivery of the intended curriculum, to promote children's learning further.