Tettenhall Green Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The environment is vibrant and well resourced. Children arrive happy, eager to play and spend time with their friends. Children behave well and staff have high expectations for behaviour. Children are confident, kind, and look out for each other. For example, a child lifts a smaller child to help them reach the top of the chalkboard. Children make good progress from their starting points. They focus well during activities and gain essential skills and attitudes in readiness for their future learning, including school.

Children have great fun as they manipulate dough by squashing, squeezing and rolling it. This helps to promote their small muscles in readiness for developing further skills, such as pencil control. Children use glue, scissors, pencils and sticky tape as they wrap presents in 'Santa's workshop'. Outdoors, they pedal wheeled toys with confidence, skill and direction. Children count, make comparisons and learn about basic and more complex shapes. They demonstrate their mathematical understanding as they describe items as 'heavy' and 'lighter'. Children's early communication skills are promoted well. They listen and respond to instructions, such as when it is time to tidy up. Children's knowledge is enriched, as they learn about other cultures and traditions.

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

• Since the last inspection, the manager has made significant improvements to the provision. She has addressed all the actions raised at the previous inspection. The manager and her team have worked closely with each other and with the local authority advisors to improve their practice and the overall quality of the service they offer. Children now benefit from an effective, well-sequenced curriculum that covers all areas of learning.
• The manager supports staff's professional development well. The quality of teaching is monitored through regular observations of staff's practice. Staff receive relevant training to help to promote children's learning. The manager and her staff have undertaken training in mathematics and literacy for early years. They use their new knowledge effectively. For example, children's mathematical development is promoted well and children develop good communication and early literacy skills. The manager monitors the curriculum and children's learning closely to make sure all children are progressing well over time. She provides swift intervention when children need extra help.
• Staff plan activities linked to children's next steps which allows children to take the lead in their own learning.
• Staff promote children's self-esteem and confidence. They model good manners and are respectful to the children and each other.
• Children are beginning to do some things for themselves, such as putting on their coats. However, occasionally, staff do not make the most of all opportunities to further support children's independence. For example, at lunch time staff open up the contents of children's lunch boxes and do not give children the opportunity to do these things for themselves.
• Children are supported to learn about the impact food and regular physical activities has on their bodies. They learn the importance of a daily teeth cleaning regime.
• Staff promote children's early literacy skills. They are aware that children must develop their physical skills before they can learn to hold a pencil correctly and write. Staff read with good intonation and ask questions about stories to encourage children to use their thinking skills. Children learn to recognise and write the letters in their name.
• Parents speak highly of the staff. They say they appreciate the detailed information they receive about their child's learning that enables them to continue this at home. However, the manager has not yet fully established an effective, two-way exchange of information about children's next steps with other providers, where care is shared, to promote consistency in children's learning.
• The well-being of the staff is very important to the manager and staff report that they feel well supported.
• Regular evaluation of the provision takes account of the views of children, parents and staff. The manager has an accurate view of the strengths and areas for improvement.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consistently make the most of all opportunities to develop children's independence to help them further build on these skills
• enhance partnership working with all providers, with whom children's care is shared, to help exchange even more information about children's learning.