Norristhorpe Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive with a smile, looking forward to the day ahead. They complete self-registration and hang their own bags and coats up. Children confidently greet practitioners and go to explore their environment. Practitioners are extremely passionate and very enthusiastic. They get to know all the children very well. This helps children to form strong attachments with all practitioners. Children are extremely happy.

Practitioners have high expectations for children's behaviour. Even the youngest children rise to these expectations and flourish. Familiar routines, clear language and lots of praise and encouragement help all children learn how to behave very well. Practitioners use positive language and good manners consistently, always talking calmly. Children copy this behaviour. They share resources with their friends and learn to take turns. Children celebrate when they follow the setting's rules and get stickers. Their behaviour is good.

Children are deeply engrossed in an ambitious curriculum throughout the day. They engage in a range of stimulating and fun activities. Staff support children to gain a deep understanding of the world around them. Children visit places of interest, such as churches, farms and wild areas. Children collect frogspawn and build tadpole habitats. Staff support children to develop their knowledge of the life cycles of animals and how to look after them. Children learn the process of growing fruit and vegetables. They develop their small muscles as they plant seeds. Children recall with enthusiasm the activities they have done. Practitioners consistently challenge children in their learning.

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

• Children have excellent opportunities to develop their speech and language through highly targeted and planned activities. Practitioners teach young children early sounds through exciting and engaging mouth exercises. This helps children to strengthen the small muscles in their mouth. Children progress to matching pictures with sounds. During children's play, practitioners use effective questioning to encourage children to describe, share their thoughts and give explanations. All children make significant progress.
• Practitioners are skilled in implementing fun activities that support the different areas of learning. They encourage children to develop their large muscles and team-building skills, such as when they play with a parachute. Children communicate with others and problem-solve as they try and balance a ball on the parachute. Children's laughter fills the room as they do so. They show good concentration as they thread wool onto card. Children are deeply engaged in their learning.
• Mathematics is embedded throughout the curriculum. Practitioners teach young children about shape and size as they build with magnetic pieces. They support children to learn about colours and balance as they build with coloured blocks, counting as they do so. Older children work together to build rockets. Practitioners teach children to count backwards for 'lift off', also talking about speed and direction. Consequently, children make superb progress in this area.
• Practitioners have an excellent understanding of all the children. They are extremely responsive to children's needs through making effective observations and interpreting children's behaviour. When children struggle to manage their emotions, practitioners respond quickly. They use distraction techniques to gain children's attention. Practitioners use visual aids that show facial expressions and emotions. They teach children to recognise how they feel and why. This helps children to learn how to self-regulate.
• The provider promotes diversity and equality extremely well. Practitioners place extensive multicultural resources and visual aids appropriately around the setting to support children's understanding. They refer to these in general conversations. Practitioners teach children about different communities, cultures and people. Children create a large jigsaw piece with information on about themselves. They connect them to their friends' to show they are one. Practitioners create an inclusive practice. Subsequently, all children celebrate their similarities and differences positively.
• Relationships with parents are outstanding. Practitioners make sure that parents are part of their child's learning. They set goals and create plans together. Managers actively seek parents and children's voices to reflect and enhance practice further. For example, they have introduced home learning bags and extended the outside play area. Practitioners share information with parents through information boards, newsletters, learning journals and meetings. Parents report that communication and practitioners' support are excellent.
• Leadership is extremely strong. Practitioners consistently report high levels of support for their well-being. Effective engagement with practitioners takes place through team meetings, supervision sessions and focused actions for professional development. Strong shared values between managers and practitioners mean that children receive a very high quality of education.