The Monkey House

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a warm welcome as they arrive at the setting. They confidently separate from their parents. Staff form positive relationships with children and parents. As a result, staff know the children well. All children, including those with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND), progress well in their learning and development.

There is a clear, ambitious curriculum in place that is understood by all staff. This helps children to develop a range of skills and experiences over time. Children are motivated to learn as they explore the well-considered learning environment. Children benefit from many opportunities to play and learn. For example, they explore bugs and discuss their differences and familiarities. They count the legs on the bugs and categorise them into groups that crawl or fly. This provides children with opportunities to explore and strengthen mathematical concepts.

Children are motivated and curious learners. Staff support them to take managed risks in their play and practise new skills. For instance, staff encourage children to climb and balance on the play equipment as they help build an obstacle course together. Children are given a wide range of opportunities to engage in active play. Consequently, children have many opportunities to practise their physical skills.

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

• Children's communication and language are supported well. Staff provide children with interesting and varied experiences. As a result, children learn a wide range of vocabulary. For example, while observing objects through a microscope, they discuss the meaning of the words 'magnify' and 'enlarge'. The children use these words in their play as they describe the items they are magnifying.
• Staff begin to promote children's independence and personal hygiene practices. For example, children pour their own drinks at mealtimes and find their own belongings. However, at times, the handwashing procedures are not understood by staff. Therefore, they do not consistently encourage good hygiene practices.
• Promoting physical development is a strength of this setting. The children enjoy being physically active and have regular opportunities to practise new skills. Children develop a good sense of movement skills as they swing and spin using physical play equipment. Furthermore, the staff plan a wide range of extracurricular activities, including football and cooking sessions. As a result, children gain good levels of control over their bodies.
• Overall, children are respectful of their environment and have good relationships with others. For instance, during tidy up time, children watch the sand timer and positively engage with the staff as they help tidy toys away. Staff are attentive to unwanted behaviour. However, they do not yet consistently help children follow boundaries and routines. For example, occasionally, children are reminded to use their 'walking feet' indoors. However, staff do not constantly support the children to understand what is expected of them.
• Partnerships with parents are strong at this setting. Parents speak highly of the support they receive from the staff. Parents confirm that they receive good communication, including regular updates about their children's development, routines and ways to support them at home. Parents value the relationships that they build with the staff. This helps to provide continuity for children.
• The secure key-person system is effective. Information about children's learning needs is shared between staff and parents. As a result, staff consider children's previous experiences, individual needs and interests to plan their care and learning effectively.
• Staff receive support from leaders through regular supervisions and practice-monitoring. This information is used to provide a range of training and support. For example, staff have recently attended training on creating enabling environments. This has impacted positively on practice and deployment during activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and strengthen hygiene practices, so they are understood by the staff and consistently followed, to ensure high levels of hygiene standards
• build on the staff's teaching of behaviour boundaries, so that all children fully understand the impact their actions have on the safety and the feelings of others.