Newpin Family Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Managers and staff provide a safe and calm environment, where children feel emotionally secure. They have a kind and caring approach and purposefully interact with children during their play. Children receive individual attention. This helps them to feel safe and build close relationships with staff. Staff gather detailed information from parents when children first attend, which helps them to understand children's preferences and provides reassurance. They plan challenging activities that align with children's interests and cover all areas of the curriculum. For example, children explore movement and texture by focusing on different-sized toy cars and understanding how the garage lift works.

Children enjoy looking at books, listening to stories and singing songs. This helps them to develop their speech and learn new words quickly. Older children enjoy retelling familiar stories and engaging in role play with each other. Children make good progress in their communication and language development. Staff speak clearly and listen carefully, which helps children to become confident communicators. Staff serve as positive role models for children and provide them with praise to boost their confidence in their abilities. Staff gently remind children about being polite and using good manners. Children are very well behaved. Additionally, staff teach children to be respectful towards people who are different from themselves as they explore other cultures and learn about the wider world.

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

• Staff closely observe children to monitor their learning and progress. They use this information effectively to plan for each child's individual learning. For example, staff use children's favourite toys to assess their understanding and recognition of colours, ordering and counting numbers. Children also have access to chalk, marker pens and paint to make marks. Older children confidently discuss what they are drawing and the different colours they use in their pictures. Children make good levels of progress in their learning, including children who are in receipt of additional funding.
• Staff encourage children to persevere, for instance, during an art and craft activity. Children engage for extended periods, designing the clothes, face and hair for their paper template of a mini version of themselves. Staff also them to use glue spreaders and hold small scissors safely. This support helps children to become confident and resilient learners.
• Children learn some skills to support their independence. For example, they confidently explore their environment and choose the toys and resources they want. Older children can register themselves using their photos and name labels. However, at times, staff end up doing too much for children and do not always encourage them to develop their self-help skills. For instance, they do not consistently encourage children to help to tidy up after playing or to prepare and serve their meals.
• Children enjoy healthy snacks and meals. They benefit from daily fresh air and exercise in the garden. When children are outside, they enjoy rolling balls down sloping pipes and counting them as they land in a container. Staff support children to recognise colours and develop their counting skills. However, sometimes, the outdoor activities are not well organised and, as a result, children are not always engaged in their learning or can follow their interests. For example, children who like to use wheeled toys do not have enough space to play with them, and some activities are not accessible to children.
• Managers work with children, serving as role models for good practice. They provide effective guidance and support to staff. Managers provide regular supervision sessions for staff and monitor each other's practice. This ensures that staff's knowledge of early years issues is kept up to date. For example, staff have attended training to enhance their knowledge of developing children's speech and language.
• Managers and staff form strong partnerships with parents and other professionals. Parents and carers are fully involved in their children's ongoing learning and assessment, which includes staff showcasing children's photos and artwork to celebrate their achievements. Parents speak highly of the leaders and staff, describing them as 'amazing' and 'fantastic'. This consistent approach ensures that children have positive and stable experiences.
• Managers excel in reflective practice, with the team working together to consistently and thoroughly review their practice and procedures. They actively seek input from parents and carers to set targets and make improvements. For example, since the last inspection, staff have built a covered outdoor area, allowing children to engage in outdoor play in various weather conditions.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• increase opportunities for children to manage simple routine tasks, to further support their emerging independence
• review the organisation and planning for outdoor activities to maximise children's learning when they are outdoors.