Sunnyside Community Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and excited to begin their day at this friendly playgroup. They separate from their parents with ease as staff warmly welcome them in. Children seek out their friends and demonstrate they feel safe and secure. They have many opportunities to explore, be active or to sit quietly looking at books. Children play together very well and are learning how to take turns and respect others. They listen and respond well to staff, who are always close by to offer children support. This results in children's behaviour being very good.

Staff have high expectations for children's learning. They have good knowledge of where children are in their individual learning journey as they track the progress they make at the playgroup. The curriculum is built around children's learning needs and supports them to make good progress. For example, when staff see that children have an interest in letters and words, they build on this learning. They show children how to form the first letter of their names with their fingers in sand. Staff add text in the role play areas, such as signs for a café. This helps children to learn how print carries meaning.

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

• The manager and staff know children very well and tailor their teaching to help them to learn consistently well. Their ongoing assessments accurately identify where children are in their development and what they need to learn next. Staff target their support effectively to address and close any emerging gaps children may have. They work collectively with parents and encourage them to support children's learning at home.
• Children have wonderful opportunities to be outdoors. Visits to the allotment and local forest school site are thoroughly enjoyed by all. Children see awe and wonder in nature as they point out bees and look at patterns on snail shells. They are gaining a strong understanding of the world as they talk about the changes they see since their last visit. Children know how to keep themselves safe and show concern for the safety of others. For example, they use a stick to push stinging nettles away from the path and make sure everyone gets past safely.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff keep parents well informed about their children's day at playgroup, as well as their ongoing progress. Parents report their children are gaining strong skills, particularly in their confidence and independence. Parents actively involve themselves in the playgroup, for example, by serving on the committee or helping to rejuvenate the allotment.
• Children make good progress in their communication and language development. This includes children who speak English as an additional language (EAL). Staff support these children by using clear simple sentences.
• Children who speak EAL show their developing understanding by responding positively. Staff help children to understand what words mean in different contexts. For example, they remind children about the action of 'squeezing' lemons in a previous activity when the word appears in a story where animals 'squeeze' themselves into a tight space.
• Staff set up an enabling environment each day. They reflect on children's previous learning and interests as they decide what activities and resources to provide. However, the same level of preparation is not always given to group times. There are occasions when some children are not able to participate and learn because the group is too large. This results in children who are sitting nearer the back becoming disengaged and restless.
• The manager and staff show a keen drive for continual improvement. They are currently looking at ways to further develop the allotment area, as children find great satisfaction in growing fruit and vegetables. Policies and procedures are continually reviewed and adapted to keep them relevant and up to date. The manager regularly observes staff's practice, offering constructive feedback to help improve their teaching skills. This helps to inform staff's ongoing professional development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider how to adapt group activities to ensure that all children can fully engage and benefit from the good learning opportunities available to them.