St David's Hill Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a calm, welcoming and enabling environment for children. They are always on hand to support, motivate and inspire children as they play and learn. The manager makes sure staff know and understand the curriculum. Staff plan to meet the needs of the children superbly. They provide a challenging range of activities. which captivate children's interests and build on what they already know. For example, children have an excellent recall of stories. They confidently tell staff about the different animals the 'ten little monkeys' meet on their jungle adventure.

Children's behaviour is superb. Children are polite, considerate and friendly to others. Staff are excellent role models. They treat children and each other with respect, which helps children understand expectations. Staff reinforce messages using visual clues, signs and the children's home languages, so they can all follow and understand what to do next. For example, when getting ready to go outdoors, children sit on the carpet like 'Sid', a cuddly toy. Staff talk the children through the safety rules they need to follow.

The manager and staff have superb links with parents, other settings and professionals. They share information to make sure children receive consistent support. When children move on, key persons make sure they talk with the new setting or school. They talk with children about the move and what that will look like. Children are confident about changes and are well-prepared for the next stages in their learning.

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

• Staff focus on communication and language skills exceptionally well. They make sure they know words in the children's home languages and use activities to enhance confidence in talking. For example, staff encourage children to choose musical instruments and sing familiar songs. They ask questions or provide choices for children and wait patiently for the responses. Children know staff value their views and opinions. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are learning English as an additional language, are becoming confident talkers.
• Staff provide a rich set of experiences for children. They use children's interests, celebrations, seasons and world events to plan activities and outings. For example, children took flowers to the cathedral and sent a card to Buckingham Palace for the Queen's funeral. They grow plants and vegetables, which they then use in cooking or take home. Children gain a fantastic understanding of the world around them.
• Children know the daily routines. They show exceptional care for others and their play environment. Changes in the routine happen seamlessly, with minimal intervention by staff. Children readily put toys away, help tidy up outdoors and clear away after snack. They know they need to wash hands before eating. They look through books and talk with each other, as they wait for their turn. During story and song time, staff pause to enable children to fill in the missing word. Staff use children's names so that children know when it is their time to talk. When children ask to sing to the group, staff and children listen respectfully. They clap enthusiastically at the end. Staff foster children's self-esteem and confidence brilliantly.
• Children engage in activities for long periods of time. They thoroughly enjoy being creative. Younger children paint pictures. They say what colours they use and that they have made a rainbow. Staff extend the learning; they help children to write their names, modelling the letter shapes for them when children find this difficult. Older children play with small building bricks. Staff provide magazines with design pictures in them. Children use these to decide how to make a 'kitchen' out of the bricks. They talk with staff about what they are doing, and carefully select the bricks they need. Staff ask the children what shapes they need, how many and what colours. Children concentrate superbly and proudly show off their finished model.
• Children have high levels of self-control and persist at tasks even if they find them difficult. Staff are on hand to encourage and support them, so children keep on trying. At snack time, children persevere when using food tweezers to move pieces of fruit from the bowls to their plates. Outdoors, children work out which of the containers filled with water they can move. They call to friends for help if they find one that is too heavy. They work with staff and friends to place the containers in order from heaviest to lightest. Children are developing resilience and take pride in their achievements.