Risby Preschool and Childcare Services

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy to attend this nurturing setting. They leave their parents at the door with a smile as staff warmly welcome them in. Children grow in confidence as they learn and practise new skills. They choose whether to join in adult-led group times such as registration time, where they sing songs and discuss the rules and their feelings. At other times, children make independent choices about their play, supported by staff when needed.

Children are free to move between the indoor and outdoor environments. They enjoy exploring the activities staff have set up outside, which make the most of the current weather conditions.

Settling-in procedures are effective and, as a result, children form strong bonds with the staff. Children are confident to approach and speak to new people. All children make good progress from their starting points. The special educational needs coordinator works well with parents to help support progress at home. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They take opportunities during the day to remind children of the rules and how their actions can make others feel.

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

• Managers and staff are clear about their curriculum and what they want children to learn. They observe and assess effectively to identify potential gaps in learning.
• Leaders and managers reflect on their practice to ensure they are meeting the needs of all children to the best of their abilities. They work well with parents to give children experiences that otherwise may not be available to them. For example, they arrange for zoo animals to visit the pre-school. These opportunities give children knowledge of the wider world around them.
• Staff play alongside children and generally teach well. They comment on children's play and make suggestions to direct learning. However, there are times when staff are less successful during adult-led activities. Staff do not recognise when too many children try to join in the activity at the same time. This means children's behaviour deteriorates and quieter children disengage and walk away.
• Children show positive attitudes towards their learning. They concentrate on activities for extended periods of time. They explore their ideas and, with the support of staff, find solutions to problems that arise. For example, staff support children when they discover their envelope has lost its stickiness. Staff ask the children to think about other ways to stick the edges down. Children then return with glue and are happy when they can close their envelope.
• Children test out various ideas with the support of staff to help build their critical thinking skills. They experiment in different ways to try and get frozen objects, such as a large spoon, out of some ice outside. Alongside staff, they move the ice into the sun to see if that will help. Staff ask questions such as, 'Do you think something warm or cold will help to melt the ice?' Staff add warm water and children try moving the spoon back and forth to loosen it. Children are delighted when they finally manage to free the spoon, and staff recap with them how they did it.
• At most times, staff work well to support children's understanding of good hygiene. For example, when children come to join the snack table, staff ask them what they need to do before they can eat. Children return once they have washed their hands and enjoy their snack. However, during the day, children are repeatedly coughing. Staff are not consistent with teaching children to cover their mouths to help stop the spread of germs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff with group activities to ensure all children's needs are met and they are all engaged in learning
• support staff to consistently teach and remind children of the importance of good hygiene.