Trenance Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders have made good improvements to the setting since the last inspection. Following training, staff implement an ambitious and sequenced curriculum that follows children's interests. Staff successfully build on what children know and need to learn next. As a result, children show increased motivation to engage and make good progress in their learning and development. For example, staff observe that babies have a strong interest in dolls. They use this interest to support babies' emerging speech. Staff set up an area for babies to wash and care for dolls. Babies are eager to do this. They babble and begin to use single words while they play. Staff play alongside and extend babies' vocabulary by repeating sounds and words back to them.

Children show they feel safe and secure. Babies seek out staff for cuddles and comfort. Toddlers and pre-school-age children play imaginative games with staff and invite their friends to join in. Children are respectful and confident learners. Toddlers and pre-school-age children take turns to play on equipment in the garden. Staff praise them for being kind and considerate. All children respond positively to staff, who are attentive and know them well.

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

• Leaders ensure smooth transitions between rooms for children. Key persons work together and help children to learn new skills before they move up. For example, older babies practise sitting on bigger chairs and use cups without lids before they move up to the toddler room. Existing key persons spend time with children in their new rooms and pass on information to their new key person. These procedures ensure that staff meet children's needs effectively.
• Children are independent. Staff encourage toddlers and pre-school-age children to select their fruit and choose milk or water at snack time. These children follow instructions to clear and scrape their plates, then wash their hands and faces afterwards. Some pre-school-age children ask to help staff rinse the plates and dry the sideboards. Staff nurture children's positive attitudes. Pre-school-age children show good levels of self-esteem and thrive on being helpful.
• Staff sing songs with children. Babies sway as they listen to a familiar song. Pre-school-age children enjoy hearing staff sing nursery rhymes while they play outside. Leaders have made good improvements in how staff promote children's communication and language. However, staff do not consistently support toddlers to learn new words and build on their communication skills further. For example, at times, staff speak very quickly, and toddlers are not always able to hear new words clearly and expand their vocabulary.
• Toddlers and pre-school-age children use magnifying glasses to look for insects in the garden. They concentrate and are curious to see what they can find.
• Some children gather leaves to feed the pet rabbits. However, staff do not always further develop toddlers' and pre-school-age children's knowledge of numbers. Although children are content to find and collect items, staff do not consistently support them to practise their counting skills.
• Children learn about the wider world and where they and their friends are from. Staff use this information from children and parents to enable children to learn about culture and festivals from children's home countries. Pre-school-age children show a keen interest in countries around the world. When playing in the garden, they pretend they are on an aeroplane. Pre-school-age children tell each other, 'We are flying to America.'
• Leaders and staff engage effectively with parents, families and the local community. For example, staff work collaboratively with parents. They give regular feedback to parents on how their children are developing. Parents value information on how they can help their children make more progress at home. Leaders offer a community larder for families and the local community each week. They provide a range of food and other items available for all. Leaders are proactive in supporting all families so that children can fulfil their potential.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's knowledge and understanding of how to support toddlers' communication and language skills so that they can learn new words and build on their communication skills further
• maximise how toddlers and pre-school-age children can further develop their knowledge of numbers and counting skills.