Scamps

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The passionate and dedicated team creates a fun and welcoming environment. Staff greet children and families warmly and take time to understand each child's needs, interests and routines. This means children separate from their parents with ease and confidently explore the wide range of exciting activities on offer. Staff use what children are interested in to plan stimulating learning experiences that support their natural curiosity. Children look for insects and use identification charts to find out what they are. They investigate how water moves by pouring it through channels and filling different containers, exploring concepts like volume and flow through hands-on play.

Leaders use funding effectively to support all children. They provide meaningful experiences such as interactive sessions with animals, building a sensory garden, and French lessons, which broaden children's horizons. Staff extend learning through carefully planned activities like food tasting, where children explore a variety of textures and smells. Staff use descriptive language, such as, 'Peppery' or 'spicy', to help children get used to a wide range of foods. These experiences help all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to make good progress.

Staff model kindness and cooperation, helping children learn to take turns, share, and support each other. These expectations fosters a positive, inclusive atmosphere where children feel safe, respected, and ready to learn.

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

• Children benefit from a well-sequenced curriculum that builds on what they already know and need. Staff use regular observations to understand each child's starting point and use their interests to plan purposeful activities. These tailored experiences support each child's individual development. As a result, all children make good progress.
• Staff support children to develop their physical abilities by providing lots of opportunities for active play. Staff encourage balance and coordination by guiding children to walk across planks placed between tyres. They show children how to do this safely by stretching out their arms to steady themselves. As a result, children gain control over their bodies.
• Staff help children learn to become independent. For example, children cut their own fruit, wash their own dishes, and help set the table for meals. These opportunities help children build confidence and feel proud of what they can do. This helps children to become more self-reliant, and means they are ready to face new challenges, including starting school.
• The setting uses visual aids to help children make sense of what they hear. Staff display key words from children's home languages around the setting and use these to support children's understanding. They invite parents in to read stories in their home languages. However, staff do not always give children the time they need to respond during interactions, which reduces their opportunities to practise using words and speaking confidently.
• The setting promotes children's health by encouraging positive habits and sharing information with families. Children participate in supervised toothbrushing sessions, encouraging awareness of how to keep their teeth clean and healthy. The setting also shares healthy recipes from different cultures with parents, helping families support nutritious choices at home. This promotes children's good health.
• Staff use praise when children behave well. The setting provides quiet spaces for children to calm down when needed, helping children manage their feelings. However, staff do not always step in to guide children when gentle reminders are needed. This means children have fewer opportunities to understand how to behave appropriately.
• The setting works closely with parents and other professionals to support each child's development and well-being. They use advice from specialists to create individual plans to meet children's needs and review these regularly with parents. The setting offers workshops, such as potty-training sessions, to equip parents with practical strategies for home. This strong partnership ensures children receive consistent care and guidance both in the setting and with their families.
• The leaders at the setting are highly reflective and use training effectively to improve outcomes for children. They encourage staff to attend relevant courses and share new ideas with the team, ensuring everyone stays up to date. This thoughtful use of training and reflection helps create a supportive, high-quality environment where all children can thrive.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to improve their questioning techniques by allowing children more time to think, process, and respond
• offer children more consistent reminders of the expectations for their behaviour, to further encourage their understanding of how to behave appropriately.