Thomas Boughey Kindergarten and Day Care

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and enjoy the time they spend in this well-resourced, calm environment. They forge close relationships with staff, who are attentive to their needs, and show they feel secure in the care of staff, as they seek them out for a reassuring cuddle. Children make good progress in their learning. They are eager to try new activities and concentrate at their chosen activity for prolonged periods of time.

Children thoroughly enjoy the time they spend outdoors. They develop their physical skills as they climb with dexterity and use outstretched arms to help them balance. Children especially enjoy looking after the plants in the allotment and they talk about the vegetables and fruit they have grown and tasted.

Children behave well and are respectful of others. They learn to share and take turns as they play with their friends and they are praised for their kind actions. Children spend time out in the local community and gain experiences that are new to them. They visit shops that sell a variety of multicultural food, the train station, a church and a mosque. Children's cultures are embraced and all children are fully included. Children who speak English as an additional language are exceptionally well supported. Staff are trained to deliver the local authority communication tool. All children are assessed on their communication when they first start and those who are behind receive targeted support in small groups to help them catch up.

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

• The setting benefits from a strong and cohesive management team, who work together well and who are supportive of each other and staff. They continually reflect on what they can do better and strive to ensure that children receive the best possible care and education. The manager is forward thinking. She recognises where improvements need to be made and has implemented significant changes, since she has been in post.
• Staff are valued and their professional development is given high priority. The manager recognises and nurtures staff's strengths. She encourages staff to take on additional roles to help them gain confidence in their own abilities. For example, by becoming the lead person for intervention and communication. All staff attend additional training to enhance their knowledge.
• Following the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, strategies, such as a well-being support jar and mindfulness parcels, have been put in place to support staff's ongoing well-being. The directors regularly meet with staff to discuss their well-being. Staff say that they value the support they receive.
• The manager has a good overview of the curriculum and her expectations are clearly disseminated to staff. Activities are planned based on each individual child's interests and next steps for learning, with a learning intention for every activity. Planning and staff practice is monitored and the manager and deputy challenge staff and ask questions to make them think about how they are supporting children's learning.
• Children's literacy is given high priority. Staff challenge parents to read 25 books with their child. Pictures of familiar books are displayed and the setting has the corresponding books for parents to borrow. In addition, during lockdown, staff organised a book hunt in the community for children and their parents to find books they had hidden and take them home to read.
• Children develop a knowledge of nature. They wait patiently for the caterpillars to turn into butterflies and are excited when they fly away. Sometimes, the organisation of group activities is not considered well enough to ensure all children are able to fully participate and make the most from their experiences.
• All children enjoy taking part in a variety of activities. Babies print with vegetables and look at the patterns they have made. They paint their hands to make handprints and laugh as they bang their hands on the paper. Toddlers learn how to make play dough. They add flour, oil and water and stir the mixture until it becomes 'sticky'. Older children use an interactive whiteboard to create pictures and problem solve, and develop their imagination as they play in the role-play house. At times, staff do not fully extend activities to help children make the very best progress in their learning.
• Staff work closely in partnership with parents and parents' views are valued. They share information about what children have been doing and provide ideas and resources to help parents continue to support their child's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• organise activities more effectively to enable all children to fully participate
• support staff to recognise how to extend activities to help children make the best possible progress in their learning.