Moorside Stars

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff have built a curriculum that promotes children's communication and language development effectively. Staff use nurturing attitudes to engage children in back- and-forth conversations. This helps children to practise their speaking skills. Babies are supported to follow simple instructions as they play 'ready, steady, go' and roll a ball to each other. Staff model and introduce new words into younger children's play, such as 'platform' as they build a train track together. Older children begin to connect actions to vocabulary as they 'stomp' like an elephant. Staff enthusiastically read stories about animals. Children show good levels of engagement and recite key phrases and actions from the story. They show a lovely attitude towards their learning and develop a love for reading and rhymes. Children are confident and articulate communicators.

Staff are positive role models. They form trusting relationships with children, which helps children to feel happy and safe in the setting. Staff are attuned to the individual needs of children. They offer reassurance through cuddles and gentle interactions, helping children to settle and feel valued. Children's emotional well-being is well supported. Staff use frequent positive praise to celebrate children's achievements, which boosts their self-esteem. Staff support children to understand the 'golden rules' and boundaries. For example, staff sensitively remind children to use 'kind hands' and to share with their friends. Children demonstrate kindness and empathy towards others. They are beginning to manage their feelings and form positive relationships. For example, they cuddle each other to recognise the emotion 'love'. Children are respectful individuals.

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

• Leaders have built an ambitious curriculum, which focuses on the skills they intend for children to learn. On the whole, staff know their key children well. However, on some occasions, staff do not implement children's next steps into the experiences they provide for children. This means that staff do not always build on what children know and can do. As a result, children's individual learning needs are not always fully captured.
• Staff support children to develop healthy lifestyles. They provide nutritious meals and snacks, which are inspired by cuisines from around the world. In addition, staff are aware of the impact of poor oral health and have prioritised teaching children about good oral health in the curriculum. They provide opportunities for children to learn about how to brush their teeth. Therefore, good healthy habits are formed from an early age.
• Partnerships with parents are positive. Staff provide parents with training on topics such as safe sleep and paediatric first aid. In addition, staff encourage parents to take books home from the lending library. However, parents are not always kept up to date with their children's next steps in learning. Therefore, this does not consistently maintain continuity in children's learning and development.
• Staff promote children's independence. They support children to put on their own coats for outdoor play. Children wash their own hands, serve their own meals and pour their own water during mealtimes. Children demonstrate good levels of independence and develop key skills they will need for the future.
• Children have daily access to the outdoors where they can be physically active. They show good physical strength as they climb up the equipment with confidence. Staff model to children how to push the pedals on the bike. This helps children to develop their core-strength muscles. Children manage risks safely. For example, they recognise they need to put a helmet on before riding a bike. Children are developing an understanding of how to keep themselves safe.
• Leaders support staff well-being effectively. Staff express that they feel valued and well supported. Leaders are passionate about providing high-quality care and education for children. They provide individualised supervision sessions and mentoring to close gaps in staff's professional development. For example, leaders recently implemented training to support staff's understanding of children's behaviour. As a result, staff have put key strategies in place to help children understand their feelings and emotions.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have good support systems in place. Staff carry out regular assessments on children's development to identify any gaps in learning. They work in good partnerships with parents and professionals, implementing targets to support children's individual needs. For example, staff use objects of reference to support children's communication needs. Children with SEND make good progress in their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop a secure understanding of all children's next steps in learning and incorporate these into children's learning experiences to build consistently on what children know and can do
• enhance the support given to parents for home learning ideas in order to extend children's development further.