The Lodge Playgroup

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy attending this welcoming, nurturing setting. They have secure relationships with staff, helping them to settle quickly. Staff respect children's individuality and have high expectations. Children respond to this positive environment and are confident in their play and exploration, gaining skills that support their future learning. Children concentrate on their play and often set themselves challenges. For example, older children line up items and state the sizes. They add further items, thinking about the additional sizes and naming these, such as 'bigger, biggest' and 'smallest'.

With support from staff, children learn to assess risks and understand safety. For example, children climb onto a wooden block and check the area is clear before jumping off. Staff offer children practical opportunities to learn about healthy practices. For instance, children explore model teeth, using toothbrushes and toy dentist equipment as they talk about how to keep teeth clean. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and their support to children reflects this. They talk calmly with children about emotions and help them to understand their behaviour. Children respond well and show a growing maturity in resolving minor conflicts. Staff are sensitive to the possible effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns. They offer children additional support in understanding emotions and interacting with others.

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

• Managers and staff work very well as a team. They share a genuine enjoyment of working with children and a commitment to continuously reviewing and developing practice at the setting. Staff receive regular supervision. They state that they feel their contributions are valued. Staff work well with other professionals, helping to ensure that children's care is consistent and they receive pertinent support.
• Staff know the children well. They use this knowledge and their experience to ensure that their curriculum is practical and supports all children in building on their learning and making good progress. Thorough monitoring of children's development means that any weaker areas are quickly addressed. The manager's good understanding of each child means that additional funding is used well to offer children additional opportunities and to promote their development.
• Children gain good language and communication skills. Staff introduce new vocabulary and check that children understand this. Children then use these words as they play, for example remembering that they are measuring in 'centimetres'. Staff interact sensitively with children, building their language skills and their confidence to speak. They repeat words, speak clearly and talk about what children are doing. This particularly aids children who speak English as an additional language and they make good progress.
• Staff share their love of books, reading with excitement and expression. Children reflect this, often choosing books to look at independently or sharing them with others. They listen intently as staff read, eagerly answering questions and remembering the characters and storyline.
• Staff have a good knowledge of child development. They build on children's physical skills in preparation for early writing. For example, children explore paint and ice in a tray. They develop their grip as they pick up the ice. They use their larger muscles as they make large, swirling patterns in the paint.
• Specific activities and discussions support children in gaining an early awareness of diversity and sparks their interest in finding out more. For example, children talk about the different festivals they celebrate at home. They bring in traditional dishes to share, talking about the foods and the customs associated with these.
• Parents speak highly of the setting. They note the good progress their children are making, particularly in their speech and interactions. Parents praise staff and their good communication. They report that ongoing discussions and written information aid them in understanding what children are learning and building on this at home.
• Children enjoy their interactions with staff, who generally encourage them to build on their play. For example, when children use a tape measure, staff encourage them to correctly locate the start of the tape and to read the numbers to determine their height. However, on occasion, staff do not use these opportunities as much as possible to fully challenge the most-able children and to consistently engage the youngest ones.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• aid staff in further building on children's learning, for example, for the most-able children and to engage the youngest children, to fully extend their learning.