Messyhands Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff place children's needs at the centre of this home-from-home provision. They offer multiple settling-in sessions to really understand children's individual needs and support them to settle. Staff nurture children's needs very well. They maintain eye contact with younger children, listen intently to older children and offer a reassuring cuddle if children are a little upset. Children in the baby room visibly shake with excitement as they see their key person and hold their hands up to interact and communicate. Older children invite staff into their play. For example, they enjoy looking at items they have collected on a walk and talk about the things they have gathered. Children are very settled.

Staff are positive role models and have high expectations for all children. They offer consistent praise and encourage children to keep trying as they master new skills. Older children show great resilience as they independently keep trying to fasten the zip on their coat until they manage the task. Children celebrate their friends' achievements through cheering and clapping. Children have high levels of self-esteem, and their behaviour is good.

Staff plan the curriculum so that it is sequenced and supports children to develop new skills. For example, babies enjoy pointing at pictures in books as staff read to them. Older children enjoy story times and join in with repetitive text as they identify voices that are high or low. Staff are very good at knowing when to observe or intervene in children's play. As a result, children are developing high levels of confidence and independence. Children make good progress and are well prepared for their future learning.

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

• Staff plan a range of interesting activities to engage children and immerse them in learning. Children play outside and giggle as they observe bubbles from a bubble machine being blown in the wind. This extends to children holding scarves in the wind and talking about the direction that they move. Children are beginning to use language in context, such as 'up', 'down', 'high' and 'low'. This supports children's understanding of positional language and the natural world.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported very well. Staff work hard to identify children's needs and use a range of strategies to help children develop in their own individual way. Children who speak English as an additional language are also supported well. Staff use keywords in children's first language to help them understand routines and express their needs. Staff carefully consider the needs of all children, and they make good progress.
• Children access a wide range of activities to support their learning and development throughout the day. They enjoy making choices in their play and the responsibility of being given 'special jobs' at tidy up time. However, sometimes during daily routines, such as preparing for lunch, the environment can get very busy, and staff can give multiple instructions to children. This means that children are not sure of expectations and can become a little unsettled at times.
• A key strength of the setting is the outdoors provision. There are lots of opportunities for children to explore, make choices and initiate their own play. Children enjoy playing 'shops' as they exchange pine cones for items, ride bikes with confidence, search for mini beasts in the bug hotel and escape from sharks as they balance on lengths of wood. Children relish being in the outdoors and are becoming confident in their physical abilities.
• Overall, partnerships with parents are good. Staff invite parents to be part of assessment and regularly share information about children's development. Parents are complimentary about the care their children receive. They say that children 'settle really well' and 'staff are very caring'. However, strategies to consistently engage parents in home learning are not embedded. This limits the continuity in children's learning between the setting and home.
• Partnerships with other professionals are meaningful. Staff work closely with other professionals to support children's individual needs. For example, they liaise with advisory teachers and health professionals to support the needs of children with SEND. Teachers are invited into the setting to learn about children's needs as they transition to school. This supports a consistency of care.
• Leadership and management is good. Staff receive support through staff meetings and supervisions. Staff attend training that develops their skills. For example, staff have recently attended training in children's nutrition. This prompted them to reflect on the nutritional content of snacks and gave greater awareness to supporting children's individual dietary requirements. Training has a positive impact for children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• revise routines throughout the day and give consistent messages to children, so that they can understand expectations
• strengthen partnerships with parents further to promote consistent ways of supporting children's learning at home.