Sinfin Community Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in this nursery. Staff greet them warmly as they arrive and develop strong relationships with the children and their families. This helps the children to feel safe and secure. Staff have high expectations for all children's behaviour. They provide a variety of interesting activities that children enjoy. For example, toddlers thoroughly enjoy popping bubble wrap as they paint, learning to hold and control the paintbrush. Babies laugh and giggle as staff show them how to run the sand through their fingers and squeeze the play dough. These activities help to strengthen the muscles in baby's fingers in preparation for later skills, such as holding a spoon.

Children develop positive attitudes toward their learning. They confidently move around the rooms, choosing their play. Staff encourage children to solve problems and extend their learning through play. For example, pre-school children use building blocks, and attempt to create a large track for their toy cars. Staff sit with the children and discuss how they might achieve this safely. Staff demonstrate how to fix the blocks together. The children listen, concentrate and use hand-eye coordination as they copy staff. Once complete, they play together, rolling the cars up, down and around their track. The children chat amongst themselves and the staff about how fast their cars go.

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

• The manager leads staff effectively. Together, they provide good quality care and learning experiences for children. Staff have a good understanding of what each child needs to learn next and how to support this. For example, staff support toddlers as they learn to ride tricycles and climb and balance on the new outside equipment. These activities help children to develop their large-muscle skills.
• Overall, the manager monitors staff performance well. She carries out supervision meetings with staff to discuss their role and plan for future training. However, the coaching and support provided do not focus on improving inconsistencies in staff practice. For example, to further help the planning and delivery of group activities.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff undertake regular assessments of children's development and quickly identify any concerns. Referrals are made at the earliest opportunity, ensuring children receive the help they need.
• Staff support children's enjoyment of books and read stories with enthusiasm. Children excitedly look at the books together. They eagerly repeat familiar phrases and describe the characters they see. Children recall previous learning as they talk about a monster with a poisonous wart on his nose and a bear who lives in a cave. Staff support children's literacy skills by encouraging them to tell the next part of the story.
• Overall, staff promote children's language skills well. They make eye contact with children and get down to their level as they talk. The staff working in the toddler room enthusiastically sing rhymes. Pre-school children are involved in meaningful conversations, which help to extend their vocabulary. However, babies are not consistently supported to learn new words. Staff often describe items as 'it' or 'them' rather than naming items to help develop their emerging language skills.
• Children learn to behave well. Staff are kind and caring, and children respond well to them. Staff praise children for making good choices, such as when children agree to share toys. They encourage children to understand the nursery rules and provide gentle reminders, such as using walking feet inside.
• Staff help children to be as independent as possible. For example, they encourage children to put on their coats before outside play. Children learn to serve themselves at mealtimes and pour their drinks. Consequently, children develop the skills needed for future learning and school.
• Partnerships with parents are a strength of the nursery. Parents speak positively about the service they receive and praise the work the staff do. Staff speak to parents daily to share children's achievements and learning. They involve parents in promoting a healthy lifestyle. For example, staff have recently set up a display to show parents how much sugar is in food. This has promoted discussions with parents about oral health and visiting the dentist.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen support for babies to build on the range of words they know and to practise their language skills
• strengthen staff support to help develop practice, paying particular attention to the planning and delivery of group activities.