Peapods Early Learning Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The passionate staff team has created a wonderfully warm and supportive environment in which children and their personal development are at the heart of everything they do. Parents and carers comment on the remarkable levels of detail which go into planning and delivering memorable experiences for their children.

Children's feelings and thoughts are sensitively considered when preparing activities, and they take great enjoyment in arriving at nursery. Staff expertly support children who speak English as an additional language and those with speech and language delays through a range of daily music and sensory sessions. These are planned and delivered to strengthen all children's communication and attention skills. Children take a huge amount of pleasure from naming and exploring weird and wonderful items pulled from a box and use tactile materials such as flour to make marks of their own.

Children are being empowered and supported to have a deep understanding of their sense of self, using a newly established ambassador programme in which children celebrate their own unique talents and skills and share these qualities with their peers.

Children undertake roles to promote values such as kindness and equality and are taught to understand their own feelings and nurture their own character. Children are eager to take on responsibility and help staff to set tables at lunchtime and organise their classroom in preparation for learning time. From the earliest age, children begin to grow into independent learners with a firm sense of right and wrong.

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

• Leaders ensure that children are provided with memorable experiences and constantly strive to link their curriculum to real life. For example, after reading the story of Paddington Bear, the children received a telephone call 'from Paddington' to say that he was lost in London. This resulted in the children enjoying an outing to Paddington Station where they excitedly looked for the bear.
• The creative curriculum is ambitious, organised and well communicated with the staff. Children are curious and enthusiastic learners who ask questions to find out more and take pride in the information they can recall. Children are taught the values and skills they will need to prepare them for school life, such as safely crossing roads and preparing their own snack.
• Children's behaviour and attitude to their learning are exemplary. They celebrate each other's achievements. Each Friday, children talk about who has displayed kindness that week and describe what it was their friend did which was kind. This helps children to securely embed their understanding of positive behaviour and attitudes.
• The curriculum is planned so that children have access to a range of fulfilling opportunities which support their knowledge and understanding of the world around them. For example, children visit local sites such as the temple or church during a range of celebrations throughout the year.
• Staff ensure that children of all ages understand and appreciate the importance of issues such as healthy eating, sleeping well and taking care of their body. For example, children use large models and a toothbrush to learn about the importance of oral hygiene. They are encouraged to be independent, washing and drying their hands when it is time to sit down for lunch, and older children peel and cut their own fruit during snack time.
• The setting has successfully cultivated a language-rich environment in which discussion between children is actively encouraged. For example, a bright and inviting tent area has been carefully created in which children are able to independently look at books and use puppets and props to retell stories. Opportunities for reading and mark making are abundant and visible throughout both the indoor and outdoor areas.
• Parent partnerships are highly effective and families are invited to attend termly meetings to talk about their child's development. Families are able to reflect on their child's experiences at the setting and they report significant development in their child's communication and independence skills. Staff communicate and report on upcoming news and events regularly through newsletters, and parents are offered workshops on important milestones such as school preparation and toilet training.
• Leaders strongly believe in encouraging and supporting their staff team to achieve their highest potential and grow professionally within the nursery. They care deeply about the welfare and future development of their staff. They are highly reflective and focused on providing the best possible outcomes for all children who attend the nursery. Staff seek to advance their own professional knowledge and understanding by attending regular training and courses related to their own areas of interest.