Redditch YMCA Pre-School and Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle very well in this setting. Time is afforded by staff at the onset of care to ensure secure settling-in arrangements. Children are provided with an individual settling-in process that is tailored to meet their needs.

Staff provide activities that strongly link to the children's individual interests. For example, dinosaurs and animals that live in the jungle are heavily featured in many of the activities. Older children lead their own learning with confidence. Together, they create winding pathways with a range of bricks. They then walk along the pathways practising their skills in balancing. Younger children access dough and use cutters to create their favourite animals. Babies explore stacking beakers with staff, who praise them when they pack the beakers inside one another.

There is a high emphasis throughout the setting on children becoming independent at different stages in their lives. The youngest of children are encouraged to learn to feed themselves. Toddlers learn to access resources of their own choice and make decisions about where and who they want to play with. Pre-school children gain skills in being able to dress themselves and confidently seek support from adults. This supports them well in being ready to start school.

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

• The management team has taken action to address weaknesses raised at the last inspection. This has positively impacted on the safety of the children. Leaders have also accurately identified areas that require adjustments to improve some aspects of the provision. They use their observations of the staff who work directly with the children to support them to develop their skills in promoting children's positive behaviour. This positively impacts on the children's understanding of what is expected of them and how to behave well.
• The staff at this setting work very well together as a team. There is a strong focus on supporting children and their families. A variety of timely support is provided for parents who are experiencing difficult times in their lives.
• Staff support children to feel safe and secure. Children who are new to the setting who, at first, are less settled, spend more time with their allocated key person in the presence of their parents.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive care and support from staff who are knowledgeable about what these children know and can do and what they need to do next. The planned curriculum is inclusive for all, offering children a variety of fun experiences that support their all-round development. Consequently, all children make good progress in relation to their starting points. That said, at times, some staff direct questions at children in a speedy manner, not giving them time to think, digest the information and respond. As a result, occasionally, this restricts the conversations that children engage in.
• Overall, activities and experiences for the children are well organised. However, occasionally, staff do not organise adult-led activities as well as they could. This means that some children's learning is not extended. Children learn to understand the importance of keeping active and healthy. They participate in early morning 'wake up and shake up sessions', exercising their bodies in preparation for the day ahead. Staff support children to understand the importance of good oral health. Dedicated sessions are organised with dental professionals to ensure that the brushing of teeth is as effective as it can be.
• Parents are extremely positive about the care of their children. They describe the staff as 'brilliant'. They say that the staff team is consistent and this means that their children are greeted by the same familiar faces every day. Parents compliment how well key-person system works in practice. Parents also appreciate how well transitions from one room to another are managed when their children move up a room. Consequently, this ensures that children feel confident in their new surroundings and are ready to learn. Parents are invited to attend a parents' evening. They frequently receive information electronically and verbally from staff in relation to their children's care and development. As a result, children's care needs are consistently met, and parents can support their children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of adult-led activities in order to ensure that children's learning can be extended
• support staff to develop their skills in communicating with children, with specific reference to engaging them in conversations.