Playlanders Playgroup (St Georges Church Hall)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop good emotional security and a positive sense of themselves. They mostly come into the playgroup happy, and parents state that their children are keen to attend. Staff implement an effective key-person system to ensure that each child has a named person to take responsibility for their learning and daily well-being. They tailor settling-in procedures to the individual needs of each child and their family. Staff plan and deliver an interesting and varied curriculum to support children's learning. Activities are rooted in children's interests and support them well as they prepare for starting school. Children enjoy playing outdoors. They develop their physical skills in the enclosed garden, and are helped to understand safe practices.

Staff engage in the children's play and learning. They support children in purposeful play. Staff chat to the children as they work and promote their developing communication and language skills. Children behave well and play harmoniously together. Any incidents of unwanted behaviour are managed gently and calmly by staff. Children are familiar with the consistent routines. They know what happens next at any point in the day. Staff are good at ensuring that all children are fully included in the routines and activities of the day. Children enthusiastically help to tidy away before moving on to the next part of the day.

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

• Staff are caring towards the children. Children feel safe and secure in their relationships with staff. They develop close emotional attachments, and staff respond positively when children need support.
• Staff know where children are in their learning and what they need to do to support children's continuing progress. However, staff do not always challenge children's learning and development to the highest level. In addition, some resources are not challenging enough. For example, the inset puzzles provided during this inspection were too simple for some older children and they quickly lost interest.
• Children are developing good friendships. They initiate interactions with each other. Children play imaginatively using their own and imagined experiences. When outdoors, children use the pretend tools to 'fix the cooker' in the mud kitchen. They play in the home corner and pretend to cook meals and make drinks.
• Children respond positively to the high expectations of staff. Staff are alert to times when children require support to refocus their attention on more-productive and purposeful play. They remind children about the need to play in ways that keep them and their friends safe.
• Staff sometimes decide when activities should end, rather than waiting until children have finished. Children are not routinely given notice of when activities change, and this does not give them the opportunity to finish off what they were doing.
• Staff chat to children as they play. They discuss what they are doing and talk about their home lives. Children enjoy stories and songs. They join in enthusiastically with number rhymes and songs. Staff count with children in routine and play situations. Children learn mathematical language, such as 'big', 'little', 'tall' and 'short'.
• Children confidently choose what they want to play with and readily lead their own play. They develop in confidence. Children enjoy having visitors to the playgroup and readily share their play with them.
• Staff help children to learn about the importance of good hygiene routines. For example, children learn about the importance of oral hygiene and are helped to brush their teeth after lunch. Children manage their personal hygiene needs in line with their age and stage of development.
• Staff benefit from an effective programme of supervision and appraisal that manages their performance and fosters a culture of mutual support. Less-confident staff are supported to improve their practice. Staff maintain mandatory training, such as in paediatric first aid.
• The playgroup manager and staff demonstrate a strong commitment to continuous improvement. They are enthusiastic and motivated to provide a good-quality care and learning experience for children.
• Staff and parents have exceptionally friendly and trusting relationships. Parents and carers hold staff in very high regard, stating that staff 'love the children' and are 'caring'. They greatly appreciate the help that staff give with child-rearing practices, such as potty training and mealtimes.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consistently provide the older and most-able children with sufficient challenge and consider the resources they provide to promote this
• give children time to complete activities to their own satisfaction and notice of when activities need to change.