Trinity Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are fully engaged in their play. Staff plan and provide activities to support a curriculum that has high expectations for all children's learning. Staff track children's development to ensure they make good progress from their starting points. Children hold and cuddle their 'babies', finding additional resources to feed and change their dolls. Children share their thoughts and ideas on how to look after the 'baby' with friends and staff. Children have access to outside space and participate in a range of planned physical activities, including dancing and ball skills.

Parents state how, from the very first visit, they feel supported, and the information they share is valued by the staff in the setting. Parents feel fully involved in their child's learning, as they receive daily handovers and have access to videos and photographs via an online application. They appreciate termly meetings with their child's key person to discuss and plan their child's next stage in learning.

Children with additional needs and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The setting's special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) makes prompt referrals for support. Behaviour is good, as children have clear expectations about how to interact with others, supported by the use of pictures displayed throughout the setting.

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

• Staff working with the youngest children build very strong attachments with them. They fully understand their role as key persons and make sure babies and young children are well cared for by giving them the attention and support they need. For example, during song time, babies are offered choices. They choose between objects linked to a familiar song or rhyme. Babies enthusiastically join in with the words or actions when staff sing. Babies enjoy being rewarded for their participation with smiles, words, gestures, and cuddles. On occasion, staff do not consider where they position themselves to ensure all children have a clear view of the staff leading groups.
• Staff provide a stimulating and engaging learning environment, which inspires children to explore and develop their knowledge and skills. Staff provide activities that build on children's interests and support their curiosity. For example, children attend forest school and made winter wreaths using collected foliage. As they work, children demonstrate their prior learning. They discuss how colourful flowers are not seen during the winter, that daffodils indicate spring has arrived and how seeds are also planted at this time. Children recall how they care for plants by watering them regularly. Staff introduce children to key words and language to develop their understanding of the natural world and build on what they already know.
• The manager and staff have a good understanding of each child's needs. They track children's progress well and identify clear next steps. The SENCo is very knowledgeable and works well with the local authority, parents, children and staff. Interventions are modelled to parents and staff to ensure that individual support plans are effective and that children make progress. Additional funding is used to provide staff training, purchase resources or to enhance children's experiences through trips out of the setting to local places of interest.
• Toddlers and pre-school children are encouraged to be independent. For example, they follow hygiene routines, washing their hands for snacks and meals and following messy play, with minimal support from staff. However, on other occasions, staff serve the children with fruit and drinks, or put on aprons and hair nets in preparation for a cookery activity, rather than letting children have a go for themselves.
• Leaders and managers are effective. They see the setting as a community resource, supporting local families and their team of staff. Since the last inspection, leaders have re-evaluated practice and have raised the quality of provision. Priorities include developing warm, supportive relationships with children and their parents. Parents state how leaders and staff feel like extended family, as they have high expectations for their children's learning, are flexible and are supportive of them as parents. Staff have opportunities for career development through access to professional training and internal promotion. Leaders and managers take great pride in supporting the achievements of others, which gives them a huge sense of work satisfaction.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of activities to enable all children to participate in adult-led group sessions effectively
• use all opportunities to encourage children's independence through everyday activities and routines.