Thorpe Willoughby Childcare Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this warm and supportive environment. They are greeted each day by smiling staff who are patient and kind. Enabling children to have a voice is central to the provider's practice. They provide a rich variety of resources and activities that help children to make choices about their learning. In small group activities, staff listen carefully to children and follow their lead. Children are confident to share their knowledge and ideas. For example, they talk about the lavender in the nursery garden. They recall when they saw bees landing on it to collect pollen. Children talk to visitors about the magic trick they learned.

Children's independence is promoted at every opportunity. They know the daily routine well and take responsibility for everyday tasks, such as tidying away resources they have used. Children who are toilet training receive high levels of support to ensure they are ready for the move to school. Children's social and emotional development is fully promoted. They are encouraged to help each other, work together to solve problems, and play cooperatively.

Children develop resilience because staff support them to resolve disputes amicably, make decisions, and try again when tasks are challenging. For instance, they concentrate and persevere when trying to thread shapes on to strings to make necklaces. Staff support families to build stronger connections within the community. Children take part in community events such as the scarecrow festival. Parents and grandparents get involved in fundraising events.

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

• Overall, the provider's curriculum is well designed and sequenced. Staff use accurate assessments of children's progress effectively to identify their next steps in learning. Careful planning means children consistently build on what they already know and can do. For instance, children are keen to share their knowledge of the 'Colour Monster'. They talk about their feelings, thinking about things that make them happy or sad. Children talk about how their body feels if they are scared or angry.
• Staff have high expectations for all children and work hard to help them reach their full potential, including the most disadvantaged children, and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have built strong partnerships with other professionals to ensure a shared approach to children's learning and development. They work closely with parents of children with SEND to ensure they can access the additional support they need. This means that gaps in children's development narrow quickly and they are very well prepared for the move to school.
• Activities capture children's interest and they are eager to join in. In the main, they are highly motivated, becoming immersed in play and concentrating for long periods. For instance, children engage in imaginative play in their café. They discuss the menu and what they might want to eat and drink. Staff support children to build a train track. They introduce new words and mathematical concepts, such as explaining that the track has 'curved' sections. However, staff do not always fully consider the different ages and stages of children when planning large group activities. At times children wait too long to take their turn, which means they lose interest and do not fully benefit from the activity.
• Staff are exceptionally skilled in promoting children's communication and language, which means that all children make rapid progress in this area. Staff ask questions and give children plenty of time to think and process information. They continually extend children's vocabulary. For example, staff use a wealth of describing words, such as 'splash', 'stamp', and 'splat'. They model longer words and encourage children to repeat them, such as 'lavender' and 'yellow'. Staff model simple alliteration, such as showing children their pen has a 'twisty top'.
• Children quickly develop early literacy skills. They demonstrate a love of reading and take books home to read with parents and carers. Staff show children how the marks they make are patterns of dots, lines and circles. They help children make connections between their patterns and the shape of a wiggly caterpillar. Staff support children to develop narratives in their play, linking to children's experiences from home and what they know already. For instance, they pretend to fill the toy car with fuel at the petrol station and discuss when the big truck comes to fill the pumps.
• In the main, partnerships with parents are strong. Parents comment that staff are amazing and the setting is an enriching environment that sparks their children's curiosity and wonder. Parents have opportunities to come into the setting to chat to staff and play alongside their children. However, not all parents are fully supported to engage in a consistent two-way flow of information between home and the nursery. This means that staff do not always know about children's experiences at home in order to fully promote continuity in their learning.
• Leaders' strong focus on professional development means staff have a good understanding of the areas of learning and the way in which young children learn. Staff are encouraged to access training and undertake further qualifications. Staff morale is high. They feel valued and say that leaders fully consider and promote their wellbeing.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen further the partnership with all parents to enhance the two-way flow of information between home and the setting
• fully consider the age and stage of children when planning whole group activities, so that all children maintain their interest and continue to be highly engaged.