The Children's Workshop

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a warm and welcoming environment, and they spend a lot of time getting to know the children and building secure relationships. As a result, children are happy, settle quickly and confidently explore the environment. Children are developing a love for stories and access a wide range of books. Staff read stories with great enthusiasm. This helps children to develop a passion for reading.

Children are positively influenced by the teamwork that the staff team role models. Staff have high expectations, and children behave very well. They learn to take turns and share the resources. Even children new to the setting learn to tidy away enthusiastically and listen attentively to instructions.

Children have plenty of opportunities to be physically active throughout the day. They benefit from time spent outside in the fresh air, particularly in the enchanting and well-thought-out garden. They have space to run and climb, practising their balance and coordination skills. Children learn about healthy lifestyles, such as a balanced diet and good hygiene routines, and staff support them to identify and manage risks as they play. This includes using challenging equipment, such as a tree swing, safely.

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

• The provider is passionate about delivering high-quality care and education to the children. They have a clear understanding of the curriculum intentions, such as promoting independence and encouraging the children to lead their own play and exploration.
• Children confidently make choices in their play. Staff follow their interests and create new resources that inspire imagination in play. For instance, they make pirate flags and bury treasure in the outdoor area, as children pretend to be pirates. However, there are occasions throughout the day where some staff move on too quickly and do not extend the conversations further. This limits opportunities for children to fully build on their knowledge as they play.
• Staff effectively support children's communication and language development well. Staff clearly emphasise key words in their interactions and provide a range of visual aids to support children's developing communication skills. This results in children of all abilities making good progress in their communication.
• Staff promote a strong sense of community in the setting. For instance, family members are invited in to share their traditions and values with all of the children. Children learn about what makes them unique and explore different cultures, celebrations and ways of life different to their own. This supports children to understand the world around them and develop a sense of belonging.
• Relationships with parents are given high priority. Staff use a range of effective strategies to engage parents in their children's development and learning. For example, they routinely invite parents to discuss their children's learning and development and share next steps. Staff understand each family's needs and are highly effective in providing precise guidance and support. This helps to promote consistency between the setting and home. Parents have strong praise for the care and education their children receive and appreciate the help and support they receive.
• Staff prioritise children's emotional well-being when planning for their transitions through the setting and beyond. They create opportunities for children to spend time in their new learning environment and with other staff so they build familiarity. However, some routine transitions, such as when the children prepare to go outside, are not as well organised. This results in occasions where some children need to wait for their peers to finish getting ready before they can go outside. As a result, some children become slightly unsettled or disengaged as they wait.
• The team regularly evaluates the environment and plans to make changes when necessary to support children's learning. For instance, they have created small cosy spaces for children to enjoy stories or quietly relax. There is a strong support system in place for the staff team. This is because leaders use a range of strategies to identify what support staff require. They have regular discussions with staff, and together they identify training opportunities. As a result, staff feel well supported, and morale is high.
• Staff quickly identify children's needs and any gaps in their learning. They take action to ensure children receive the timely help or support they require. This helps to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities continue to thrive in their development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the quality of staff interactions with children, to extend children's knowledge and understanding even more during their play experiences
• develop further how staff adapt routine transitions in order to limit the amount of time children can spend waiting.