St Peter's Under 5s

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and settle quickly in this warm and welcoming setting. They build strong, trusting relationships with staff, who offer warm interactions and consistent reassurance. This helps children feel safe, secure and ready to explore. Staff create engaging learning experiences that spark children's curiosity. Children eagerly join in and sustain concentration for extended periods.

Staff maintain high expectations for children's learning and behaviour. Children learn to share, take turns and consider the feelings of others. When minor disagreements occur, staff respond promptly, guiding children through appropriate negotiation and discussion. They use strategies such as a sand timer to support turn taking, helping children understand boundaries and routines.

Parents speak highly of the exceptional support provided by staff, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They report significant progress in their children's development and value the tailored strategies in place, such as those supporting children with toileting needs. Parents describe a strong, collaborative partnership with staff, underpinned by clear communication. This fosters a culture of trust and inclusivity across the setting. Families feel confident approaching staff and appreciate the nurturing, approachable environment they create.

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

• Children demonstrate strong perseverance and concentration, particularly during creative and exploratory play. For example, they remain highly focused while exploring a sensory tray filled with a variety of tools and materials. Staff enhance these experiences by providing equipment such as pipettes, which support the development of fine motor skills and finger strength. These practical opportunities help children build the foundations needed for early writing, as they confidently fill and empty small containers with water.
• The setting provides a broad and ambitious curriculum that reflects each child's background and individual needs. Staff use their secure knowledge of the children to plan purposeful learning experiences that build on what children already know and can do. These planned activities support steady progress across all areas of learning. However, at times, staff do not always identify when older or most-able children are ready for additional challenge to extend their learning even further.
• Independence is promoted well throughout the daily routine. For example, before snack time, staff ring a bell to signal when snack is available. Children choose when to join by placing their name or photo card on a visual register board with space for six participants. They confidently check for availability, wash their hands with minimal reminders and collect their snack trays. After eating, children return their pots to their bags, showing clear understanding of expectations. These consistent routines help children develop important self-help skills.
• Staff say that they feel highly supported by the provider. The provider is committed to developing the highly experienced team even further. Relevant, tailored training and coaching helps staff aspire to provide the best possible care. The provider uses observations of staff's practice to provide in-the-moment coaching.
• The setting demonstrates a clear commitment to self-evaluation and continuous improvement. Staff regularly reflect on their practice and implement thoughtful changes that enhance the learning environment. These adjustments ensure that the setting remains inclusive, welcoming and responsive to the needs of all children. For example, since the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have actively encouraged families back into the setting. As a result, parents now feel more connected and involved in their children's experiences, which strengthens the partnership and supports children's well-being and development.
• Staff skilfully weave mathematical language into children's play, helping to lay the foundations for future learning. Through practical prompts such as, 'Can you fill up one container?' and 'Can you fill it to the top?', staff introduce important mathematical concepts in a meaningful way. These interactions support children's understanding of quantity, measure and problem-solving, while also developing their reasoning and use of mathematical vocabulary.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus staff's development on embedding the curriculum intent consistently to know when to challenge older children more to enable them to make even greater progress.