Tots2teens Daycare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very confident and highly motivated in their learning. They try hard when they face difficulties. Skilled staff know when to encourage or support them, and when to allow them time to have a go. For example, children work hard to manoeuvre difficult items across the outdoor area independently. They persevere to push two wheeled barrows and pull delivery trolleys in different directions.

Routine events, such as mealtimes, have a strong family feel and everyone enjoys them. Children and staff have great respect for each other. Staff courteously ask children's permission to sit and eat with them. When children serve themselves their meal, they are careful to leave enough food for everyone. They remind their friends to do this too. Children happily wait, and do not start eating, until everyone has their meal. They explain, 'we wait until we are all ready, so no-one is left'. Staff teach children these excellent behaviours in a carefully planned and sequenced way.

All children feel valued. Parents, carers and staff work together to ensure their needs, strengths and individuality are fully understood. The setting uses this understanding to plan high-quality, challenging experiences for all children. Children's behaviour is excellent, and all children make very good progress. During the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the setting went above and beyond to support children's learning at home and check on their welfare. For example, staff visited children's homes during lockdown, delivering books and toys.

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

• Leaders and staff have a very strong vision for what children need to learn and be able to do. They make sure children have the knowledge and skills they need, before moving on to new learning. For example, they use sand and play dough to develop children's muscle strength and coordination. They know this will help them to hold a pencil when they are ready to begin writing. Staff spend time showing children how to wash all parts of their hands and make sure they can do this well. They then expand on this by teaching more difficult skills, such as brushing their teeth.
• Children are developing a genuine love of stories. They re-enact the 'Three Little Pigs' story outside in the pretend 'straw' and 'brick' houses. Through imaginative play, they explore the character's actions and emotions. Staff wonder aloud whether the 'pigs' would be feeling scared if the wolf is angry. This increases children's vocabulary and helps them to understand their own and other's feelings. Children take home 'Three Little Pigs' story sacks so that parents can strengthen this learning at home.
• Children make excellent progress in their physical development. They develop their gross motor skills riding balance bikes, moving them between cones with great ability. They create sounds using the piano and tambourines and move their bodies to the beats. At mealtimes, they use tongs to select food from serving bowls which develops their fine motor skills.
• Children learn about healthy eating. The setting plans a range of foods it wants children to try and marks each new food with a sticker on a chart. Children enjoy roast chicken, salad, wholemeal bread, boiled eggs and cheese for lunch. Parents say they are surprised and pleased when their children eat food they would not eat at home. Leaders talk to parents about how to help children eat less sugar and improve their oral hygiene.
• Leaders care deeply about children, families and staff. They know the local community well and plan innovative opportunities to widen children's life experiences. For example, they take children to visit elderly members of the community to develop care and respect, which is a focus for the local area.
• Children's relationships with staff develop their sense of uniqueness. They enjoy dressing up together and look at themselves in the mirror. They talk at length about their similarities and differences. Children use photos of themselves, their families and staff to comfort themselves and to learn about self and others.
• Leaders identify areas that need improving and swiftly act on them. For example, they noticed the curriculum for mathematics required further attention, due to some gaps in staff's knowledge. They adapted the local school's mathematics programme and provided targeted training for staff. Children now make excellent progress in mathematics, due to the carefully sequenced curriculum, and staff are skilled in their teaching.
• Parents are fully involved in the assessment of their child's learning and know their next steps. The setting is highly inclusive. They go above and beyond to meet children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) needs. They notice the small things that will help a child have a more settled start to their session and adapt routines to meet their needs. Together with parents, they work closely with outside agencies to request assessments and advice. As a result, children with SEND educational needs and achieve the best possible outcomes.