My Time Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff warmly greet children and families on arrival. Children settle well in this safe and caring environment. Staff are attentive, patient and kind. The provider develops a curriculum that builds on what children know and can do. Staff use observation and assessment well to identify what children need to learn next. They plan and implement one-to-one and group activities that meet the needs of individual children. All children make good progress.

Staff support children to have a go at doing things for themselves. For example, older children take off their shoes and jackets and put them away. Very young children learn to feed themselves. All children help to tidy away throughout the day as the routine changes. These developing independence skills prepare children well for their future learning.

Staff model good behaviour. Children learn to behave in positive ways, as they get consistent, encouraging praise from staff. Staff listen actively and repeat back what they think children are asking for. This helps children to feel heard and respected. Staff help children to take turns. For example, they suggest alternative options while children wait for a turn with the play dough cutters. Children form friendships and learn to get along with others.

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

• Leaders have a good understanding of their designated roles and responsibilities. Overall, they know the strengths of the setting and identify areas for further development. Procedures are in place to monitor the quality of staff practice. For example, meetings are held with staff to discuss their role. However, staff do not receive precise targets to support them in raising the quality of their teaching further. That said, staff are happy in their roles and comment on the good levels of support they receive from the management team for their well-being.
• Each key person has a good knowledge of their individual key children's learning needs, including what they need to learn next. However, this knowledge is not always routinely shared with all staff. This means that, on occasion, staff do not enhance children's learning as precisely as possible.
• Communication and language are promoted extremely well. Throughout the setting, children engage in animated conversations and staff skilfully introduce new vocabulary. Staff read stories each day and provide lots of opportunities for children to develop the skills they need in readiness for writing. For example, they encourage younger children to develop their hand strength and make marks as they play in the sensory tray. Older children learn how to hold pencils, and those who are ready and interested learn how to write recognisable letters. Children's literacy skills develop well.
• Staff understand the physical development needs of children and babies. They help babies to climb and pull themselves up onto nursery equipment that is just at the right height. Staff guide older children to persist at balancing and climbing on resources with skill. This encourages children to explore freely and become confident and physically strong.
• Children have good opportunities to develop their mathematical skills in a variety of ways. Through songs, older children learn to count forwards and backwards from 10. Children hear mathematical language as they play. Staff use words such as 'small' and 'large' as the children roll balls to each other. Children make good progress in their mathematical development.
• Staff provide a wealth of meaningful learning experiences to help children to understand important aspects of life in modern Britain. For example, they introduce children to a range of different festivals, such as Eid, Diwali and Easter. Children learn that they are unique and to respect the differences between themselves and other people.
• Provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is strong. Staff collate observations from the earliest moment of concern. They use these to highlight areas of need to outside agencies and work with them to secure additional provision if necessary. As a result, children with SEND make good progress from their individual starting points.
• Staff work in close, respectful partnership with parents and carers. For instance, they make sure that they share information with parents about their child's learning. Parents say that they receive valuable suggestions from staff about how to support their children's learning at home. This consistent approach helps children to develop knowledge and skills for their future learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance performance management to precisely identify areas of individual staff practice for future development to help to continually raise the quality of teaching
• strengthen the sharing of information about individual children's next steps so that all staff can support and extend individual children's learning even more precisely as they play.