Tenacres Littlefolks

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Good settling-in procedures help children to be ready for the move from home to the setting. Children arrive happy and leave their parents or carers with ease. Staff greet them with a smile and offer a reassuring cuddle if needed. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. They are independent and take responsibility for their belongings and their personal care.

All children make good progress from their starting points because staff plan an ambitious curriculum, which they tailor around children's individual learning needs. Children display positive attitudes to learning. They move freely around the indoor and outdoor learning environment to engage in their chosen play. Staff support young children effectively to develop their core strength. They stretch to reach the paints and brushes as they stand at the table. Staff help children to develop good communication and language skills. They engage them in meaningful conversations throughout the day. Children enthusiastically join in with action songs and rhymes. They are developing a love of books. Children listen attentively to stories read by enthusiastic staff. Staff ask children to recall the story. They know the story well and loudly huff and puff like the three little pigs.

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

• The newly appointed provider has not notified Ofsted of changes made at the setting, with particular regard to new committee members. This is a requirement of the early years foundation stage and means Ofsted has not been able to carry out the necessary checks to ensure that these new members are suitable for their roles. That said, children's safety is not compromised. New committee members have undergone checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service. Their roles are focused on fundraising and administrative tasks, which means they do not attend the setting when children and staff are present.
• Staff know what they want children to learn from planned play activities. For example, children learn about their senses and use the word 'hibernation' in their play. However, staff do not always focus their interactions to fully support the planned learning intention and help children to make even better progress.
• Staff provide children with an organised and well-resourced learning environment. They sit alongside children to assist their play and interact positively with most children. However, sometimes, staff do not always recognise that quieter children are not fully engaged in their learning experiences because their support is focused on the more confident and self-assured children's participation.
• Staff recognise the lasting impact of COVID-19 for the children in their care. During initial assessments, staff identify that some children are not at their expected levels of development for communication and language. They use a variety of methods to help children make progress. For example, staff use sign language to help all children communicate their wants and needs. The setting works effectively with a number of external professionals, including speech and language therapists, to target help and support to help close emerging gaps in children's learning and development.
• Staff strive to deliver high-quality care and education to all children at all times. They have daily meetings to discuss the curriculum and children's individual learning needs. Staff attend training around their interests and development needs to improve their already good knowledge and skills.
• The setting has strong partnerships with the link school, which most children go on to attend. In the summer term, staff invite reception teachers to visit children in their own surroundings and to discuss their individual learning needs. They take children to play in the school playground to meet with other children and school staff. This helps children to be prepared for the move to school and develop a sense of belonging in the school community.
• Staff have good relationships with parents. They share information with them about their children's time at the setting in a range of ways, for example through daily discussions, online learning records and termly progress meetings. Staff work with parents to offer a consistent approach to children's learning. They share ideas to support progress towards developmental milestones, such as potty training. Parents' comments are extremely positive. They are very happy with the levels of progress their children make and comment on the great communication from staff.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider must:

• improve knowledge and understanding of what Ofsted need to be informed of to ensure that the required suitability checks are completed. (by 31 October 2024)

The provider should:

• support staff to focus their interactions on intentions for children's learning during planned activities to help children make even better progress
• help staff to offer consistent levels of support for quieter and less confident children to promote their participation and enhance their learning and development.