Tuffley Playgroup at Harewood Infant School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive ready for the playgroup session. They confidently leave their parents at the gate. They are developing their independence as they hang up their coats. They find their drinking bottle in their bags and put them in the tray to use throughout the session. Staff welcome and support children's efforts. Children select what they want to do. Children are excited, busy and engage in a wide variety of play experiences indoors and outdoors.

Staff support children to choose activities that help them to build on what they know and can do. Staff show skill at knowing when to intervene to support children's exploration and when to observe. Children make good progress, regardless of their starting points. Staff are always interacting and talking with children. Staff support children to practise skills. Children show their willingness to learn and have a go. For example, staff show children how to use scissors to cut play dough and how to build a tall building with the bricks in the garden. Children show a real sense of achievement as they succeed. Staff use expressive language to expand children's vocabularies, notably for numbers, shapes and weight. Children are well prepared for the next stage of their learning.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their families are very well supported by the playgroup. Staff act promptly if they identify that any children need extra help and support from staff or other professionals.

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

• Children behave well. Staff have high expectations for all children. Staff adapt their practice and have some excellent strategies to sensitively support children to manage their behaviour. Staff offer comfort and understanding when children are upset. Children show the ability to manage their feelings and learn positive behaviour through relaxation strategies. Staff deal with any minor upsets calmly and swiftly.
• Communication and language are well promoted. Staff speak clearly and use simple short sentences to help children to understand instructions. Children are actively listened to and share their thoughts and ideas with staff. Children say that pretend food that they are cooking in the oven in the home corner will take '22 minutes' to cook. They know that staff are genuinely interested in what they wish to say. Staff help children to think and to ask and answer questions.
• Parents speak highly of the playgroup and staff. Parents say that their children love attending and arrive happy and smiling. Key persons keep parents well informed about their children's time at the playgroup. Parents say that their children make good progress, especially with their developing speech and language. While parents feel included, informed and listened to, arrangements to meet them regularly are not in place. This means that some staff do not have the opportunity to engage with parents and develop closer partnerships with them to share information as well as they could.
• Children develop a love of stories and books through the repeated reading of their favourite stories with staff. Staff read with enthusiasm. For example, the children are familiar with 'The Shark in the Park' story. They join in the rhyme and use the telescopes that they have made as props to follow and act out the story. They shout out with excitement when they find the shark. This circle time helps children to develop social and communication skills. Children regularly and independently select and read books to their friends.
• Staff regularly get together and think about each child's day, looking for ways in which they can be of better help to support their progress. These moments of reflection consider solutions and ideas to extend and develop activities. The arrangements for sharing information with other settings that children attend are in their infancy. This is to be further developed to ensure a consistent approach to children's development.
• Staff demonstrate strong teamwork as they seamlessly work together and know their roles and responsibilities. Currently, the manager and staff are evaluating the changes that they are making to snack time. They want it to work better. Staff say that they feel valued.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop approaches to engage more with parents to build improved communication and partnership to further benefit children's development
• improve information-sharing with other settings that children attend for continuity of care and learning.