Tops Gillingham

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Warm and friendly staff greet children and parents as they arrive. Children quickly settle and are eager to explore the thoughtfully planned activities staff provide. Children form strong relationships with staff and demonstrate they feel safe and secure in their environment. For example, babies giggle and smile as they eat morning snack together.

Staff are attentive to children's needs. They show great care and respect to all children. Children know and follow the rules and boundaries and respond positively to staff. For instance, children help wipe the tables and prepare the room for snack and lunch. Children are thoughtful and caring towards their friends. Older children independently use sand timers to share resources. Younger children put blankets over each other as they pretend to sleep in tents in the role-play area.

Children benefit from the ambitious curriculum the manager has designed. Staff skilfully engage and interact with children to support their speech, language and communication. They consistently praise children. This helps children become independent and confident learners. All children make good progress in their learning and development. They develop a strong foundation in the knowledge, skills and understanding of the world they need for future learning.

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

• Staff successfully implement a balanced curriculum based on what children can already do and know. Staff know children well and use assessment effectively to plan challenging and motivating learning opportunities across all areas of learning. For example, older children excitedly carry clipboards, pens and paper and place ticks next to photos of bugs they collect in the garden. This helps to promote their early literacy skills.
• Staff have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language. The special educational needs coordinator is dedicated and knowledgeable. She works closely with staff, outside agencies and families to support children's individual needs. This ensures all children make timely progress.
• Children have excellent knowledge of how to keep themselves healthy. For example, older children talk about which foods are good for them and what sugar does to their teeth. Staff teach children about oral hygiene and support children to brush their teeth every day. Staff encourage children to be active throughout the day and help them understand the effect of exercise on their bodies.
• Staff plan challenging and meaningful activities and give children regular opportunities to try different experiences, rehearse new skills and embed their knowledge across the curriculum. However, staff do not always provide enough opportunities for older children to learn in quieter environments to support the development of their listening and attention skills.
• Children are very independent. They pour themselves drinks of water from water stations and use mirrors and tissues to wipe their noses. Staff work closely with parents to support children to become toilet trained. They provide motivating toys and books for parents to help their children with this process at home.
• Parents speak very positively about the range of activities staff provide and the good progress their children make. They comment on staff being friendly and approachable. Parents appreciate the advice, guidance and resources staff provide to help them support children's learning at home. Staff have good relationships with local schools and work closely with them and parents to ensure children have a successful transition to school.
• Children have effective communication skills. They express themselves clearly and confidently. Staff ask appropriate questions, comment on children's play and model new words to help build and extend children's vocabulary. However, staff miss opportunities to fully enhance younger children's speech and language development during song times.
• Staff are passionate and committed to listening to children and giving all children 'a voice'. They consistently encourage children to make choices and share their views. Children participate in the school council, where they help choose new toys and equipment.
• The manager is supportive of her staff team and has a secure understanding of her role and responsibilities. She provides access to online training for all staff to ensure they keep their knowledge and practice up to date. This helps to ensure children receive high-quality care and education.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more opportunities for older children to learn in quieter environments to support the development of their listening and attention skills
• strengthen song time for younger children to fully enhance their speech and language development.