The Cove

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This setting focuses on providing care for children aged two and under, and for older children who need additional support to thrive and make progress in their learning. Staff, including the inspirational special educational needs coordinator, (SENCo), work diligently to ensure that the needs of all children are understood and met. Consequently, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make very good progress.

Staff are kind and nurturing, they create a lovely feeling of calm and purposefulness in the setting. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure as they happily play with staff and the activities on offer. They raise their arms to be picked up for nappy changes, and use their emerging verbal communication and gestures to communicate their needs, confident that these will be met.

Leaders have designed an innovative and inclusive curriculum that focuses on building children's communication and attention in ways appropriate to their young age. Very young children learn the skills necessary to take turns and play alongside their friends as they follow the lead set by staff. They learn to wait their turn for snack and enjoy playing favourite games together. Children are well prepared for the next stage in their learning

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

• Leaders and managers understand the importance of investing in staff well-being and development. Staff speak highly of the support that they receive and say that they enjoy working in the setting. Apprentices receive induction that means they settle quickly into their roles and learn the same calm and nurturing behaviours modelled by their more experienced colleagues. Staff's enjoyment in their work is evident and enhances the atmosphere for children.
• Staff provide common activities throughout the setting that support children's transitions and ensures opportunities to build on previous learning. For instance, every room has a bucket of prompts for songs, actions or rhymes. Children learn to anticipate this activity and gleefully join in with staff who skilfully add in words and actions to further develop children's emerging skills.
• Partnerships with parents are good and leaders and managers are keen to review how they can be further developed. Staff share strategies that parents use to support their children's development at home. The SENCo designs and oversees interventions and planning for children with SEND that includes assessments of all aspects of care and learning that each child needs to thrive. She ensures that parents receive the support that they need to access help from other agencies. This creates a coordinated approach to children's development.
• Staff support children's early communication skills through the well-planned curriculum. They provide a narrative to children's play and introduce new words and ideas to expand children's emerging vocabulary. Staff use a broad range of methods to enhance communication for children, such as picture signs and 'Makaton' sign language. These are used universally throughout the setting. This aids transitions between rooms and promotes the inclusion of all children. Children develop early skills essential to become effective communicators.
• Although the setting does not yet have its own outdoor area, staff ensure that all children have regular access to the outdoors. For instance, they go on walks in the local woods and ride in the 'baby bus'. Staff provide children with plenty of opportunities to develop both their big and small muscles. They provide large play equipment for children to climb and slide and lots of malleable and messy play to develop their hand muscles. Children who are still developing their physical skills receive bespoke support. All children gain confidence in their physical skills.
• Leaders and managers review the quality of the setting using a broad range of methods. For example, they carefully assess how additional funding is used and the impact it has on children's progress. However, leaders and managers evaluation of the early years provision does not fully identify areas for further development or improvements necessary to raise the quality of teaching and learning to the highest levels.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the evaluation of the early years provision to identify precisely areas for development and raise the delivery of the curriculum and teaching to the highest level.