Rodborough Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a warm welcome from the caring, attentive staff. Those children who are new to the setting, and those who find it hard to leave their parents, receive excellent support and the reassurance they need to settle quickly.

All children enjoy the broad range of well-planned activities that build on their interests. They all make good progress across all aspects of their learning. The children aged two, three and four years develop their language skills well. Many chat avidly to staff, their friends and visitors about what they are doing, their ideas and past experiences. For example, children discussed visiting the local ice-cream factory and the different flavours they like. They included visitors in the conversation, and gave them a 'strawberry ice-cream' made with sand. Children use their imaginations as they play in the popular home corner, with sand and with toy vehicles. They thoroughly enjoy listening to stories and love to look at books. They snuggle up with their friends in the cosy book area to share books. They retell stories and discuss the illustrations.

Children develop their early mark-making skills using a variety of resources to apply paint, draw, and strengthen their hand muscles. They excitedly mix soil and water outdoors, and paint the mixture onto large draped sheets. The children relish outdoor play opportunities. They climb, slide, run and jump, developing competent physical skills. They have great fun mixing 'potions' and 'cooking' in the mud kitchen. Children are polite and well behaved. They learn to play cooperatively, and wait patiently to take turns. The children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are developing confidence and good independence skills. Children put on their coats and wellies, and learn to do the fastenings. They help to tidy away toys with enthusiasm, working together to carry larger items. Children like to help staff prepare snacks and wipe tables after they have eaten.

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

• The committee, manager and staff are all highly enthusiastic in their roles. The manager has a good overview of where each child is in their learning. She works closely with staff to ensure they plan and implement a suitable curriculum that takes account of what children need to learn next.
• Staff successfully foster children's self-esteem. Children receive high praise for their achievements and lots of encouragement to try new things.
• Staff instinctively challenge children to develop their language and thinking. They model the use of language and sensitively nurture children who find it harder to communicate. Staff use simple sign language, introduce new vocabulary, and ask carefully considered questions, giving children time to respond. Children thoroughly enjoy musical activities and enthusiastically join in singing familiar songs and rhymes.
• The staff team creates an inviting play environment, where children can access resources easily to extend the planned activities. Staff use children's interests to attract them to activities. For example, they added toy vehicles to a paint activity to successfully encourage children to engage in the mark-making activity.
• Many children count confidently. For example, they count the number of adults and children present. Staff plan activities to build on children's mathematical awareness but do not make the most of opportunities that arise spontaneously during activities, to encourage children to compare numbers, and talk about size, quantities and numerals.
• Children learn about diversity and to respect others. They see positive images of people different to themselves in the books they look at and staff read. Staff also plan outings to increase children's understanding of the world they live in.
• The manager and committee work proactively to support the staff team and evaluate the effectiveness of the provision well. Since the last inspection, they have created a cosier, more organised play environment. Staff have also completed training that has enhanced their teaching of communication and language skills.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Parents report that they are kept well informed about their children's progress. Home visits are used effectively to foster a good two-way communication from the outset. Parents have regular opportunities to join their children in the setting, to learn more about their play and learning.
• Staff take a proactive approach to develop partnerships with other settings children attend. They make visits to the other settings and regularly share information to ensure that they provide learning opportunities that enhance the experiences children have elsewhere.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• create more opportunities for children to compare and separate groups of objects to develop their mathematical skills further
• make greater use of spontaneous opportunities to encourage children to talk about size, quantities and numerals.