Sugar 'n' Spice

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are firmly at the heart of this warm, friendly and family-orientated setting. Staff take the time to build strong bonds with the children, who show they are happy to attend. New starters are given extra time, comfort and cuddles from staff. This helps children to develop trust and supports their emotional well-being.

Staff use their experience to develop an exciting, engaging and interesting curriculum for children. They use children's interests and their next stages in learning to embed and extend children's skills. Staff adapt the curriculum to support individual children. For example, children choose to hold a 'pizza and pamper' day. Staff use this interest to develop individual next steps in a variety of ways. Some children are working on their scissor control. Staff support them in the use of scissors as children cut food shapes to glue onto their pizza plates. Other children further develop their small motor skills and hand-eye coordination as they fill and empty lemon-scented water into bottles. The curriculum is well thought out and ensures all children make good progress from their starting points.

Staff help to develop children's self-esteem and confidence as children try new things. For example, during a yoga session, children try to stand on one leg. Staff support children to have a go and to keep trying. Children laugh and giggle as they try, and show great pride when staff praise them. Children's behaviour is good. They listen to adults, follow instructions and understand the routine of the day. Staff teach children to be kind, gentle and to be a 'fantastic friend'. This supports the children to think of others, and further develop an understanding of their own emotions.

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

• The manager and staff show their extreme passion in the provision and service they provide for children and families. Staff members have many years' experience of working with each other and they work to each person's strengths. They talk each day about how they can improve their teaching and the environment for children. Staff access training opportunities to help build on their professional development.
• Staff are excellent role models for communication. They listen carefully to children, talk to them about their play, and ask open-ended questions, which helps children to develop their communication skills. Staff introduce new words, such as 'chapati', and encourage children to pronounce them. This helps children to develop their language and communication skills.
• Staff provide group activities for children to enhance their learning. For example, when children make pizza for lunch, older children use knives to cut the ham and peppers. Staff support younger children to grate the cheese. In the main, younger children learn from the older ones and happily engage in the activities. However, on occasions, some children wait for long periods of time as staff support other children in their tasks. They start to fidget and lose focus and therefore do not gain the most from their learning.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Some staff have attended additional training. This enables them to support other staff, parents and children. They work with parents and other professionals to develop individual learning plans for children. Staff also use their experience to put strategies into place while children wait for appointments from other professionals. This ensures children make good progress in their learning.
• Staff teach children to have healthy lifestyles. They discuss healthy eating and going to the dentist. Children go outdoors every day to ensure they have fresh air and exercise. Children know to wash their hands before snack and the importance of staying safe in the sun. However, on occasion, staff do not ensure that good hygiene procedures are in place during activities. For example, during the spa day, children paint each other's faces with yoghurt. They use the same brush for every child, and the brush goes near to eyes and into children's mouths. This increases the risk of infection and does not teach children good hygiene habits.
• Staff build a strong partnership with parents, which has a positive impact on children's learning. Staff actively involve parents in the setting. For example, they invite them to workshops to support children's home learning, with topics such as enhancing children's communication or how to stop the use of dummies. Families are proud to share how they celebrate important cultural events. The children enjoy bringing in food and objects of importance and explaining about their celebrations. Parents comment on how much they value the staff, and feel their children make great progress in their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• refine the organisation of group activities, so that children of different ages and abilities are supported to gain the best from the learning opportunities
• review hygiene practices so they are consistently followed, and ensure that hygiene standards are of the highest quality.