Rocking Horse Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, settled and confident in this welcoming setting. They receive a friendly and warm welcome from staff, with whom they have formed secure bonds. Staff treat the children with kindness and respect. They listen to, and act on, the views and ideas of children. Children have formed friendships and are considerate of others. For example, they quickly apologise when they accidentally break something their friend has made.

Children benefit from a well-thought-out and ambitious curriculum that builds on what they already know and can do. Staff have high expectations of the children and know them and their individual needs well. They tailor their interactions with the children around their individual development needs. Staff are effective in engaging with other professionals when required. Personalised strategies are in place to support children who require additional support. This ensures all children make progress from their starting points.

Children are provided with experiences to broaden their knowledge about the world around them. For example, they have regular trips in and around the local community. They visit the local library, museums and shops. They take part in beach school sessions. This provides them with an opportunity to broaden their knowledge and learn how to keep themselves safe when outside the setting.

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

• The leadership team is committed to providing high-quality care and education. They are reflective and have a clear and ambitious vision for the setting, which is shared with the team. They welcome support from their local authority advisers and seek relevant training opportunities. They continually evaluate and adapt the provision, considering the views of parents, children and staff.
• Staff support children's emerging communication skills well. Staff who work with young children name objects and draw children's attention to the colours, shapes and features of the items they play with. They introduce more complex words into play, such as brachiosaurus, and children attempt to copy these words. Staff who work with older children use activities to introduce new words to children. For instance, they encourage children to find out and use the correct names for different types of shells and seaweed they have found at the beach. This helps children learn new vocabulary and supports their good communication and language development.
• Children are eager to participate in a wide range of activities and experiences that staff provide. Children can choose what activities to engage in and lead their play. Staff use their interactions during children's play to further their knowledge. They know when to join in with children's play and when to take a step back. This means that children are developing positive attitudes to learning. However, transitions at lunchtime are not as well organised as the rest of the day, and this can cause some children to become disengaged with their learning at this time.
• Children generally behave well and play cooperatively together. Staff support children to be polite and kind to each other. However, when children need reminders about the rules, the reasons behind the rules are not always explained to them. As a result, children do not always gain a clear understanding of why the rules are in place to enable them to self-regulate their behaviour.
• The leadership team is focused on building strong partnerships with parents. As a result, parents are very positive about the setting. They feel the setting goes above and beyond to support the whole family. Parents say their children are happy and settled and that their individual needs are met. They are kept informed of their children's progress and next steps to enable them to support their children's learning at home.
• Staff are offered support and coaching to help them carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively. They are encouraged to complete regular training courses and attend supervision meetings. Staff enjoy their roles and say their well-being is supported. They are proud to work at the setting. This means that children are cared for by happy and motivated staff.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the organisation of transition times to ensure that children are fully engaged at these times
• consistently support children's understanding of why there are rules in place so that they can learn to self-regulate their behaviour.