The Railway Children

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Being outdoors is of high importance at this setting, and children explore their local community, getting muddy and wet. Staff and children enjoy jumping in puddles, exploring their natural world. These experiences allow children to develop their large-muscle skills. Older children experience den making. Children learn how to tie different knots, using a mallet to secure pegs in place.

Children experience awe and wonder as staff cover their legs and feet in sand and tickle their toes. Young children laugh and smile, watching sand fall through the colander onto their bodies. Being imaginative is of high importance with children, and they enjoy role-play activities. For example, when children dress up, they say, 'I'm a witch. I have a wand; I will turn you into a frog.' Children enjoy spending time in the home corner, making 'breakfast' for their peers.

Behaviour and attitudes are good. Staff reward children's positive behaviour through verbal praise. Embedded routines and boundaries help children to feel safe and secure. Staff praise children for sharing and taking turns. Independence develops from an early age, giving children confidence to do things themselves. Parents are positive about the setting, especially the communication they receive about their child's development.

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

• Mathematical language fills the rooms of this calm and comfortable setting. For example, staff use vocabulary such as 'more' and 'less' during mealtimes when children select food and drink. Words, including 'heavier and 'lighter', are used to challenge children when using real weighing scales and items. Staff use books to develop children's early number skills. They support children's knowledge of sorting and colour matching from a young age.
• Children independently select resources, such as puppets and story spoons, and retell the stories they enjoy. For example, a child selected 'The Colour Monster' box linked to the book, stating how the monster was feeling for each colour. Effective staff interactions deepen children's understanding and are well planned in the pre-school room. However, the quality of staff interactions with younger children is inconsistent. For example, occasionally, toddlers have minimal amounts of interaction with staff during snack time, which does not fully enhance their learning.
• Managers have a clear vision and understanding of the curriculum intent for each room. Importance is placed on developing children's independence, personal, social and emotional skills. Staff have sound knowledge of children's starting points, next steps and interests. This ensures that overall, children reach their full potential.
• Staff enjoy regular support and supervision from managers. Through observations and discussions, staff celebrate successes and focus on areas that need further development. Managers discuss improvements that will support children's development. This in turn promotes positive outcomes for children and high staff morale.
• Effective planning ensures that children develop skills across several areas of learning. For example, through the story 'Jack and the Beanstalk', children learn what a plant needs to grow and then plant their own bean. Staff make good use of questioning to extend children's learning. For example, they ask, 'Why does the plant need sun?' Children engage as learning is enjoyable. This helps them to make good progress.
• Rich opportunities enable children to broaden their knowledge of their local community. For example, children visit their local residential home, bake with the residents, play board games and sing to them. Children also visit their local supermarket, library and delicatessen. Staff plan sessions with the local school, which supports pre-school children to settle quickly when they move on from the setting.
• Children's personal development is a strong focus. For instance, staff encourage children to pour their own water and use tongs to pick up their own lunch. Young children wash their hands after having their nappy changed, which supports their early personal care skills. Small-muscle skills develop through a range of exciting opportunities. For example, children enjoy painting using potato mashers and sponges to make marks on paper.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• further develop the quality of staff interactions with younger children to ensure that learning experiences are enjoyable, challenging and purposeful and enhance their learning even further.