Tashbar Creche

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children run to greet their friends and the staff as they arrive at this positive setting. They settle quickly and confidently access the resources that are available to them. Staff know children well and use personalised approaches to ensure that all children feel safe and secure as they arrive at the setting. Children are happy and have built loving bonds with the caring staff.

Children's personal, social and emotional development is prioritised at this setting. Staff model respectful relationships to children and teach them how to interact positively with each other. Children notice when their friends have sticky hands and offer them a tissue. They understand the embedded expectations and routines and follow these independently. For example, children help to tidy up toys without being asked to by staff. Children behave well and are beginning to understand the impact of their behaviour on others.

Children develop a sense of awe and wonder for the world around them. Babies focus for extended periods as they explore and investigate a range of textures. Children gaze up in amazement as they blow bubbles and watch them move in the breeze. Children experiment as they pour lentils into containers. They watch carefully as the lentils reach the top of the container. Children develop positive attitudes to learning and make good progress.

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

• Leaders have developed a curriculum that reflects children's interests and builds on their knowledge and skills. Children engage well with this curriculum and demonstrate that they remember what they have been taught. For example, children confidently name shapes and exclaim 'it is the same' as they hold a square next to a square shaped clock on the wall. All children make good progress in their learning.
• In the main, staff effectively use their interactions with children to build on their knowledge and skills. However, staff do not always have a secure understanding of how to sequence children's learning. This does not support children to make the highest levels of progress.
• Leaders are reflective and are committed to the continuous improvement of the setting. They ensure that staff access regular supervision and coaching to help them to develop their practice. They observe staff teaching and provide them with clear feedback on their performance. However, there is scope for training and professional development opportunities to focus more precisely on raising the quality of teaching to the highest level.
• Staff read aloud to children often throughout the day. They ensure that children have access to many books and that they become familiar with a wide range of stories. They explore book after book, carefully turning the pages and pointing out what they can see in the pictures. As staff read, older children join in with the familiar phrases in stories that they have heard before. Children are developing a love of reading.
• Children make good progress in their physical development. The play equipment that children access at the setting supports them to gain strength, coordination and control. Children confidently ride tricycles and kick balls outside. They make marks with paintbrushes and push pegs into peg boards. Children skilfully pour cake ingredients into a bowl and use spoons to stir it. Children's physical skills are developing well.
• Staff work in partnership with parents to provide continuity of care and education for all children. They find out about children's interests and needs before they start at the setting. They use this information to plan a personalised approach to children's transition. Staff frequently talk to parents about their children's learning and development. This supports parents to know how to extend their children's learning at home. Parents say that their children are thriving in this setting, which they describe as 'warm' and 'loving'.
• Staff promote children's health and well-being. They support children to develop their understanding of good hygiene practices, such as handwashing and cleaning the table before eating. Children drink water throughout the day and staff talk to parents about providing nutritious food for children. Children are beginning to understand the importance and benefits of healthy lifestyle practices.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop their understanding of the sequencing of children's learning, so that their teaching consistently builds on children's knowledge and skills
• strengthen staff training and professional development opportunities, to focus more precisely on raising the quality of teaching to the highest level.