Ossett Childcare & Pre-School Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children benefit from the warm and welcoming environment staff create for them. Staff build close and positive relationships with children, who demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in their care. For example, staff working with babies and younger children are attuned to their individual emotional and care needs. They provide them with the comfort and reassurance that they need. Staff working with older children create a fun learning environment, where children are free to explore and make independent choices in their play. Children are engaged and motivated to learn. They come into the setting eager to participate in the activities and learning experiences staff provide for them. All children have a positive attitude to learning.

All children enjoy the range of activities and learning opportunities provided for them. For example, babies and younger children enjoy mark making using paints, with support from staff. The movements they make help to develop their gross motor skills. Toddlers eagerly participate and demonstrate that they enjoy the daily exercise activities staff complete with them. This helps to build on their focus, attention and listening skills, overtime. Pre-school children enjoy creative and mark-making activities. This helps to develop the dexterity needed for their emerging writing skills. Children are well prepared for their future learning, overall.

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

• The setting has a clear intent and vision for their curriculum. This sets out what they want children to know and be able to do in preparation for their future learning. Staff carefully plan activities and learning experiences for each child and implement these effectively in practice, overall. However, on occasions, they do not ensure educational programmes precisely focus on ways to further develop some children's individual speech and language skills.
• Partnership working with external professionals is effective. For example, the setting has good links with the local schools children move on to. They gather key information from teaching staff about what skills and knowledge they want children to gain before they first start. The setting incorporates these into their curriculum plans to help prepare children for their eventual move to school.
• The provider has plans in place to support children's transitions, when they move into the next room within the setting. The key person goes on a visit with the child to support them in building new relationships with staff and children. They share information about the child's individual interests, likes, dislikes and care needs with their new key person. However, they do not always provide precise information about the child's development so that their learning can be seamlessly continued.
• The setting ensure that parents are kept informed about the level of progress their child is making. For example, they share information electronically and have face-to-face meetings about their child's progress and next step learning targets. They share ideas about ways to support their child's learning at home, which helps to promote a consistent approach.
• Children develop a love of books and reading. Babies and younger children learn how to handle books with care. They listen intently to stories that are read by staff. Older children answer questions about what is happening in the story and staff check their understanding using their good questioning skills. Parents and children are encouraged to use the setting's lending library. This helps to support children's early literacy skills, both in the setting and at home.
• Children develop good mathematical skills. The setting ensure that numbers and counting are incorporated into children's everyday experiences. Older children learn to recognise numerals and develop their understanding of number values. The setting support children to develop their concept of time through their daily routines.
• Staff teach children about the importance of maintaining their oral hygiene. They provide them with daily activities and have conversations about how to keep their mouth and teeth clean and healthy. They have daily opportunities to practise brushing their teeth and staff show them how to do this thoroughly using mouth models. Children develop good hygiene and self-care skills.
• The setting has implemented effective supervisions and ongoing professional development plans for all staff. They are reflective and complete regular practice observations to identify areas to improve. This contributes to the ongoing development of the setting.
• The provider failed to notify Ofsted of changes about their registered business address, which is a requirement of their registration. This was discussed with the provider at the beginning of the inspection, and they took the necessary steps to address this matter.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• refine educational programmes to ensure that they sharply focus on developing children's individual speech and language skills
• ensure staff share key information about what children already know and can do, so that their learning is seamlessly continued during their transition into the next room.