Sherwood Playgroup CIO

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children separate from their parents well and happily walk into their group with staff. Staff work closely with families and build positive relationships, which help children to feel safe and secure. Children confidently take their belongings and hang them up on a peg and then choose items to explore. If children need help, they are confident to ask staff for it. Staff identify children's emotions. They comment and give children time, when needed, to manage their feelings.

Children respect one another. For example, at group time, children calmly pass objects around to look at, and they wait their turn patiently. Children work together with their friends. For example, outside, older children tangle their bikes together as they ride past each other. They stop and speak to one another and, supported by staff, they get themselves untangled.

Children engage for prolonged periods of time with activities and toys they have chosen. Children understand what is expected of them and behave well. Staff give children gentle reminders when needed. Staff use praise to support children to understand the expectations of behaviour, as well as how to use items. For example, in the garden, when children kick large shiny balls, staff say, 'good kicking.'

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

• Staff and managers understand child development and how children learn. They use this knowledge to adapt the learning environment to support all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities or children who speak English as an additional language.
• Staff and managers know the children and their families well. Staff use this knowledge to provide meaningful experiences for children and their families. For example, they have set up events for families to visit and stay with the children and play. Staff and managers say that this has supported families to feel confident to send their children to the setting.
• Children develop skills to become independent. Older children take themselves to the toilet and wash their hands, with support if needed. At lunchtime, children open and sort out their lunch boxes ready to eat. Children are encouraged to put on and take off their own coat, hat and scarf.
• Children are supported by staff to develop their physical skills. Outside, staff encourage children to climb in and out of tunnels, ride scooters and tricycles, spin around in spinning tops and run around. Inside, staff model how to use items, and children use paintbrushes, press cutters into clay and roll clay using rolling pins.
• Children gain an understanding of keeping themselves healthy because staff talk to children about the foods they have in their lunch boxes and what is healthy and unhealthy. During a group activity with musical instruments, staff talk about germs and the need to wash the instruments after children put them to their mouths and blow down them.
• Parents are happy with the group. They have brought all of their children and other friends' children to the setting. They are happy with the approach that the group takes, as well as the care that is given to their children. Parents comment on their children being able to access things at the group that they do not get elsewhere, such as learning skills out in the woods.
• Generally, children's communication and language is supported. Staff sing, comment, use actions, repeat words and use facial expressions and signs with children. However, children are not consistently exposed to vocabulary beyond what they already know. For example, children explore different Christmas items, using vocabulary to describe them, such as 'sparkly'. Staff repeat the word but do not add additional vocabulary.
• Staff say that they feel well supported by managers. They have supervision meetings to discuss their interests and training they are interested in. Any changes to their circumstances and whether there is an impact on suitability is also discussed. However, this process is not as effective for developing staff's practice with children, to ensure children are supported to learn. For example, staff share their overall focus for their key children, but they do not know specifically what they need to work on to improve their practice with children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consistently expose children to vocabulary beyond what they already know
• further develop processes to support staff to be clear on how they can improve their practice when interacting with children, to enhance children's experiences.