Manor House Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Significant improvements have been made for children since the last inspection. The manager carefully checks staff's daily risk assessments and ensures that the setting is safe. The owners and manager are committed to improving the quality of care and education they provide. The manager observes staff working with children and provides feedback, coaching and support to help them improve their practice. As a result, staff plan activities that support children to make good progress across the areas of learning. Staff recognise that some children have needed more support with their emotional well-being and social skills during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is used to inform planning, in good support of children's personal, social and emotional development.

Children are actively supported by their key person who has high expectations of them based on the accurate knowledge they have of each child. Children easily follow familiar routines at the setting. They demonstrate good listening and attention skills. For instance, they sit on the carpet at group time and join in with familiar songs and stories. Children demonstrate good behaviour and follow the routines of the day. They come inside and wash their hands after playing outdoors and wait patiently at the table while snack arrives. Children develop positive relationships with each other. They show consideration for others and learn to share and take turns. Children are eager to join in with activities and they enjoy the staff's enthusiastic involvement with them as they play.

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

• The manager makes good use of the newly introduced observation, assessment and planning systems which are effective. Ongoing training and supervisions support staff practice to continue to improve. Training for formal qualifications and short courses deepens staff's understanding and builds their confidence.
• Parents are complimentary about the care provided for their children. They comment on how effective the staff are at settling their children in when they start attending. Staff actively encourage parents to tell them about their child's achievements at home so that they can develop a wider view of children's experiences. However, not all parents are aware of their child's identified learning needs so they can best guide their child's ongoing learning at home.
• Staff recognise the importance of supporting children's communication and language development. They engage in conversations with children as they play. Older children engage in conversation with their friends, staff and visitors. They are inquisitive and motivated to learn. They engage in imaginative role play with their friends and use their good language skills while pretending to be different characters. Staff introduce, model and repeat the correct use of words. They ask children questions and listen to what they have to say. This helps children to build on their listening and speaking skills.
• Staff provide good levels of engagement for all children and implement well-organised activities to stimulate learning. Staff deployment is effective. This enables staff to supervise children well and help them learn. For example, toddlers enjoy opportunities to play in the stimulating outdoor space where they can freely move around and practise their walking skills. Older children clearly relish the challenge of drawing around staff outdoors and trying to balance on beams and crates. They show a can-do attitude to learning as they carefully chalk around fingers while counting.
• Staff support children's emotional development well. Children are settled and secure. They receive lots of kind words from staff which helps them to feel valued. Children cuddle up to staff during stories, take staffs' hands to lead them to join in play and reach out to hug friends regularly.
• Children learn to follow healthy lifestyles. Staff provide healthy, home-cooked food and make sure that drinking water is readily available for children. They cater for children's individual dietary needs and allergies. Staff plan opportunities for children to plant their own flowers and vegetables. Staff encourage children to be independent. For example, all children are encouraged to try and serve their own food during mealtimes. Children join in familiar routines, such as brushing their teeth, which teaches them how to stay healthy.
• Staff help children to learn about different cultures, for example, by celebrating festivals from around the world. However, they do not always help children to understand their similarities and differences to promote an even greater understanding of what makes us all unique.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and adapt ways in which information is shared with parents, including more detailed information regarding children's next stages of learning, to enable parents to continue their child's learning at home
• enhance the curriculum to help children to consistently understand differences and similarities of people, families and communities different to their own.