Poppins Nursery and After School Care

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children feel safe and secure within the care of kind and attentive staff. Children frequently show affection towards staff and confidently ask for help when they need it. They enjoy spending their time engaging staff in their play. For instance, children enjoy practising their skills in the role play area. They ask staff what they would like and enjoy presenting endless cups of pretend tea and sandwiches. Children and staff compare their differences as they discuss their favourite sandwich fillings.

Staff help children to make connections with the world through their love of stories. Children enjoy snuggling up with staff members as they explore books. Staff ask children lots of open-ended questions as they read, to test what they already know. For example, they ask when children may need to wear gloves and what an umbrella is used for. Children then share their experiences of different types of weather, including recent storms.

Children behave well and understand what staff expect from their behaviour. They learn about the rules and why these are important. For example, children use their 'gentle hands' as they point out body parts on themselves and others. Children develop essential social skills that support future friendships. For instance, staff encourage children to wait patiently for their turn as children pass food and serve themselves during mealtimes.

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

• Staff have thought carefully about what they want children to learn. They use assessment well to identify what children already know. They use this information to prioritise learning in key areas, including speech and language, independence and confidence. This helps children develop the core skills they will need to be successful learners in the future.
• Staff work in partnership with parents and other professionals effectively. Parents speak highly of staff who help children feel 'safe and secure'. Staff communicate regularly with settings where children also attend. They share information on children's progress and next steps in learning. Partnership working with parents and other professionals helps to create a consistent approach to support children's development.
• Staff support children's emerging communication skills well through effective modelling and regular two-way conversations. Staff use bubbles to introduce new vocabulary such as 'pop', 'gone', 'bubble' and 'more'. Staff repeat these new words a number of times to support word formation and understanding that language has meaning. This helps all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language, to become effective communicators.
• Children learn new concepts through good-quality interactions. For example, while playing with bricks, staff introduce measure as they encourage children to compare and consider the sizes of their structures. Children stand against their towers as they assess whether they are taller or shorter. However, staff do not always use opportunities to encourage and build on children's counting skills consistently. For example, on occasion, they fail to model counting correctly when children make mistakes. This does not provide children with a consistent approach in some areas of learning.
• Children develop good attitudes towards their learning. They demonstrate good listening and attention skills as they follow instructions, such as lining up nicely ready for outside play. Children learn to problem-solve through routine activities. For instance, during snack time, children concentrate intently as they attempt to scoop apple onto their spoon. They notice with interest when the apple pieces stick together. Staff support children to think critically as they ask questions on how they could separate the apple segments.
• Children learn about their bodies as they discuss eating during snack time. Staff help children understand how their bodies work by explaining how the food they eat travels down their throats and into their tummies, making them feel full. Children practise good hygiene routines as they cover their mouths and noses when sneezing, understanding that this prevents their 'germs' from spreading. This promotes children's health and well-being.
• Staff teach children the techniques they need to complete tasks for themselves. For instance, staff encourage children to use their 'pinchie' fingers as they attempt to open packets during lunchtime. Children concentrate as they follow instructions to pinch each side of the packet before pulling. They show pride as they open their own packets without any assistance. This helps build their self-esteem and independence, in preparation for their eventual move to school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• use routine opportunities and consistent high-quality interactions to strengthen children's understanding of mathematical skills, including number and counting.