RAFA Kidz Boscombe Down

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff offer children and their families a warm welcome at this supportive and caring nursery. Children settle well and show they feel safe and happy as they confidently explore and engage in the motivating activities staff provide. Babies and toddlers freely investigate their environment and go to staff for cuddles and reassurance. Older children focus on finding the best ways of making water travel through a series of containers without spilling it. They excitedly tell staff when they achieve success. Staff know children incredibly well. They use their knowledge of children's starting points to successfully plan and deliver a curriculum that continually builds on what children know and can do. This gives children a strong foundation in learning.

Children behave well. They listen to staff and demonstrate they understand the routines and boundaries. For instance, younger children cheer and say, 'It's snack time, it's snack time!' as they see staff starting to prepare their fruit and drinks. Children benefit from the carefully planned outdoor activities staff provide. Staff encourage and support children of all ages to climb, balance, throw and kick balls, ride a range of bikes, trikes, and scooters, and teach children how to use different tools to draw, pour and scoop for example. This helps children develop the physical skills they need ready for school.

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

• Leaders and managers have a clear intent for children's learning. There is a focus on children's language and communication, supporting their personal, social, and emotional development, and building children's physical skills. Staff deliver this curriculum with enthusiasm. They regularly praise children's efforts and achievements and give children opportunities to make choices and decisions about their own care and learning. For example, older children choose if they'd like to play inside or outside. This helps children feel valued and builds their self-esteem and confidence.
• Staff have high expectations for children. They use regular assessments to swiftly identify any gaps in children's learning. Leaders and managers ensure funding is used effectively to provide support and resources for individual children who need additional support. This inclusive approach helps all children make progress.
• Older children show they are independent in all aspects of their self-care and learning. Staff give children the opportunities to learn and practice a wide range of independence skills. For example, children use technology to register themselves when they arrive, peel their own fruit, and recycle their fruit waste at lunch time. However, staff do not always fully extend younger children's independence. For instance, younger children who are capable of using cutlery to feed themselves are not consistently given opportunities to do so.
• Partnerships with parents are positive. Staff understand the importance of working with families to provide a consistent approach to children's care and learning. Staff spend time getting to know children and their families from the start. They use this valuable information to meet each child's interests and needs. For instance, staff work with parents to learn key words in different languages to help children who speak English as an additional language to settle and express themselves. Parents speak highly of the support staff give them with milestones like toilet training and managing their children's behaviour at home.
• Staff's interactions with children are positive and encouraging. Staff show a caring and genuine interest in what children are saying and doing. They enthusiastically join in with children's play. However, when staff who work with younger children are busy with routine tasks, they miss opportunities to engage in high quality interactions with babies and toddlers to fully support and extend their learning.
• Leaders and managers provide staff with opportunities to develop their own knowledge and practice. Staff's professional development is carefully planned to have the greatest impact on children. Staff's workload and well-being are managed effectively to ensure staff feel positive and confident. Staff work well as a team and show dedication to their role. Their upbeat and supportive approach helps children develop positive attitudes towards their learning.
• Staff use a range of teaching strategies to build children's knowledge and skills. For example, they model language, use careful questioning, and give children time to think and respond. However, staff do not always recognise when children's knowledge is not accurate. At times, staff do not step in quickly enough to help children with any misconceptions. For example, staff do not always notice when children mis pronounce words or when children say the incorrect colour for objects. This means there are times when children are learning and using inaccurate knowledge.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure staff build on opportunities for younger children to carry out tasks they are capable of doing, such as beginning to use cutlery to feed themselves, to fully develop younger children's independence skills
• support staff to recognise and make the most of all opportunities to engage in quality interactions with babies and younger children to fully extend younger children's learning
• strengthen staff's skills in identifying children's misconceptions and quickly correcting them to help children develop accurate knowledge.