Smiley Faces Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children approach their learning with enthusiasm. This is seen outdoors, where staff help children to kick and throw a ball with accuracy. Children willingly respond to staff's interactions, kicking the ball back and forth with them. Staff invite other children into the game, which helps to develop all children's social skills as they play as part of a team. Next, staff challenge children to throw the ball into a wheelbarrow. Children struggle slightly but show their resilience as they persist and go on to successfully achieve the task.

Children enjoy the company of their friends. They chatter among themselves at snack time, talking about what they are eating as they pass bowls of fruit around the table. Staff skilfully repeat what children have said to subtly correct their mispronunciations. This helps to develop children's language and communication skills. Children practise using their small finger muscles to peel pieces of banana, which staff have cut into appropriately-sized pieces so children do not choke when they eat. Children learn how to be hygienic and promote everyone's good health. They follow staff's instruction to 'catch their cough' by raising their hand in front of their mouth.

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

• Leaders and managers have taken appropriate action to improve the quality of care and education that children receive. They make sure there is always a qualified first aider on site. Leaders and managers have identified and addressed the previous weaknesses in staff's practice. This means that staff can now confidently deliver the setting's curriculum.
• Staff make accurate assessments of children's development. They use this information to help children continually build on what they already know and can do. For example, during a cutting activity, staff recognise that some children can successfully use chunky scissors. To help these children develop their cutting skills further, staff provide different scissors that require the children to use more precision. This adaptation helps children to make swift progress in their development.
• For the most part, staff consider children's individual learning needs when they plan activities. For example, they intend for some children to practise their pouring skills when they play with water and containers, while other children are supported to learn new mathematical language about capacity. However, this is not always the case when staff plan group activities, such as welcome time. During these times, some children lose interest and start to show unwanted behaviours because they are bored or do not understand what is being discussed.
• Staff use routine activities, such as mealtimes, to support children's continuous learning and personal development. For instance, they make sure children wash their hands before they eat, which promotes their good health. Staff support children to pour their own drink from a jug, which helps children become independent and look after their own care needs.
• Staff use effective ways to support children's social development. For example, they explain that taking turns allows all children the chance to play with a particular toy. Staff offer lots of praise when reluctant children offer their friends a turn at using the toy. This motivates the children to repeat this positive behaviour. Children then continue to independently pass the toy between themselves, enjoying each other's company and successfully negotiating their play.
• Leaders and managers have systems in place to share information with parents and carers, but they have not made sure that all parents and carers understand the content or access the information. This means that some parents and carers do not know information about their children's care and education, such as who their child's key person is, or what their child is learning so that they can support this further at home.
• Leaders and managers act quickly when staff have concerns about emerging gaps in children's learning and development. They involve relevant specialist services and the child's parents to agree a plan of support. This means that children receive the help they need without delay.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop more effective methods of communicating with parents and carers so that they fully understand information about their child's care at the setting and what they can do to help their child's learning and development further at home
• support staff to adapt their planning of group learning times to make sure all children's learning and development needs are continually met.