Milton Mount Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive, happily store away their belongings and enter the setting with excitement. Those who need a little support, receive this promptly from staff, enabling them to settle quickly. Children make independent choices about where they would like to play within the effective learning environment staff that create. In the garden, children dig for insects. They discuss with staff about where worms live and children chat about things the worms may need to survive. This shows a clear understanding of how to care for living things and of good language development.

Children show good small-muscle development. For example, children learn about threading and use the pens to make pictures with laces. Staff readily praise young children for their efforts and children show a great sense of pride in their achievements. Children receive prompt and effective reassurance when they accidentally take a tumble or become upset. This helps them to feel safe and secure while at playgroup. Children enjoy story times. They sit with staff, talking about what will happen next. Staff bring the story to life, using different tones in their voice and children look at the pictures intently. They chat about the dinosaur bones and staff ask children well-timed questions to maintain the intrigue. Children engage in worthwhile discussions with staff. For example, they talk about x-rays and how this shows a picture of their bones. Other children listen to the conversation, developing their awareness of their bodies.

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

• The manager has a clear understanding of her role and responsibilities. Staff receive effective support from the committee to enable them to provide a good quality provision. The manager understands how to assess staff's practice and interactions with children. This enables her to help staff to continually improve their practice and the learning outcomes for children.
• Staff receive regular individual meetings to appraise their development. From this, they plan and target training needs, which enables them to develop their knowledge and professionalism. Staff report that they receive effective support to enable them to be successful in their individual roles at the setting.
• Staff gather information from parents about what their children know, understand and can do. Staff seek details about those people who are important in children's lives and use this in their discussions with them. This strengthens children sense of belonging.
• Staff know their key children's learning needs and styles. They observe and assess children's development and plan as a team for children's next steps. This enables them to teach children the skills they need to gain next and provide opportunities for them to practise these. This helps children to be ready to successfully move on the next stage in their sequence of learning.
• Children learn to take turns through staff support. However, staff sometimes use strategies that children are not yet able to comprehend. For example, they tell children that they can swap over in 'five minutes'. This does not help children to learn to manage these situations themselves and to resolve minor conflicts.
• There is effective support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The special educational needs coordinator has a secure understanding of her role and how best to aid staff in the identification of gaps in learning. Staff work in partnership with other agencies supporting the child and family. This helps to promote consistency in children's care and learning.
• Staff embrace children's cultures and heritages and successfully support children who are learning more than one language. This means that children quickly gain a grasp of English, while also maintaining and using other languages. Children learn about similarities and differences and gain a secure awareness of the wider world.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Parents comment that their children have good levels of confidence and that they receive regular updates about their child's development. However, there is less emphasis on sharing ideas with parents on how they can enhance their children's learning at home. This does not further support consistency in children's learning.
• Staff effectively bring children together for group times. For example, they stand and clap, saying 'can you copy me?', which draws children to stop and listen. This enables staff to share details of changes of the routine, such as when it is time to tidy up. Children receive effective encouragement in this task, enabling them to learn to care for the equipment. They fill a basket with cars and then carry it together to put it away, showing effective team working.
• Children review their day at playgroup with staff at the end of the day. They talk about the activities they have participated in, children they have played with and their favourite things. Children listen to each other, and staff value each child's views. This helps children to have a voice and to understand other people's opinions.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• explore further ways in which to help children manage minor conflicts and aid in their understanding of how to share and take turns
• build on ways in which to share information with parents about how they can further support their children's learning at home.