Muddy Puddles Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in the small, home-from-home setting. They are very happy and confident, as adults are very caring and knowledgeable about them. All children make good progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is because there is a well-planned curriculum that meets each child's needs and interests. Adults carefully assess children so they can plan activities that excite and engage all children. For example, toddlers build tracks for trains. They learn the words 'bend' and 'long' as they link pieces of track together. Older children learn about numbers and letters at group circle time. They can identify specific numerals within a number line and match objects to letter sounds, such as 'tractor' and 'tortoise' for the sound 't'.

Children feel very safe here and have a can-do attitude. They stay focused on activities for long periods. Toddlers navigate themselves along a wall, using a fence for support. They persevere when they meet an obstacle and work out how to keep going. Older children go to feed the pigs on the farm. They know where it is safe to go and how to feed the pigs safely. Children are very polite and respectful because adults model these values extremely well.

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

• Children make good progress with their communication because adults model and extend language very well. For example, all the children explore water in the lovely garden. They use scoops, guttering and large containers. Babies splash the water and laugh as it lands on them. Adults repeat words such as 'splash'. Older children are encouraged by knowledgeable adults to test whether different items will float or sink. These children talk about whether items such as corks are heavy or light. Adults extend the children's learning by using open-ended questions. All adults use sign language well to develop children's communication skills. This particularly supports the youngest children and those with SEND.
• Adults read regularly to children in an engaging way. Children develop a love of stories and learn that writing has meaning. Adults encourage children to recall the story and to understand rhyme. Older children develop their fine motor skills to support their control of pens and pencils. Adults plan fine motor activities to support this. For example, children use pipettes to move water from one vessel to another.
• Children learn about life cycles and how to care for their environment and living things. They help to care for orphaned lambs on the farm and recycle the food waste to feed the animals. Children learn about people who help us and have visits from local firemen, nurses and sea rescue personnel. Although children read about other cultures around the world in stories, there are very limited resources to help them understand similarities and differences between people.
• Children are encouraged to self-assess risk as they explore the learning environment freely. All children willingly take the opportunity to decide where to explore. However, at times, babies and toddlers are overwhelmed by older children. The older children dominate the play and learning. This means that the younger children miss out on trying new activities and skills as they lack the skills and knowledge.
• Children with SEND make good progress. Adults work closely with other agencies to ensure they have the most effective strategies in place to support these children. They work closely with parents and take into account parents' knowledge of supporting their children. The special educational needs coordinator (SENDCo) proactively attends training as required to meet the individual needs of each child with SEND. The SENDCo ensures that all strategies are shared with the child's next educational setting so they continue to make progress.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Parents receive regular updates on their children's well-being and progress. They know that their children are safe and well cared for. Parents can share their views and feel listened to. Managers use feedback from parents to improve practice where possible and are committed to improving outcomes for all children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more activities and resources to support children's awareness of diversity among people
• provide more support for babies and toddlers in the garden so they can develop their confidence and explore safely to make even greater progress.