Twinkle Twinkle Stars

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are eager to attend this home-from-home, nurturing setting. They benefit from an individual approach to settling in. This helps all children to form meaningful relationships with staff, and they quickly begin to feel safe and secure. There is an effective key-person system in place, which contributes to children's sense of well-being.

Staff tend to the intimate care needs of their own key children, always asking the child first. Food is freshly prepared on site and staff consider all children's dietary requirements. Staff set rules to promote positive behaviour. This helps children to understand what is expected of them. Children show that they are eager to learn and play cooperatively with their friends.

Leaders have an ambitious vision for the care and education they deliver. They are in the process of embedding a curriculum which provides children with a wealth of opportunities to be curious. Children have access to well-thought-out learning environments, inside and out, which spark their interest. In the garden, staff actively encourage children to take their own risks, while also maintaining their safety. For example, children use the slide made from crates or the ladder to balance. Inside, children use painting sticks to make marks and use large wooden blocks and planks to construct. Children act out real-life experiences in well-equipped role-play areas.

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

• Communication and language development is a key focus at this setting. Staff read stories with enthusiasm, using tone and expression to engage the children. There are many opportunities to sing songs. Babies start to recognise pictures on wooden spoons which show the songs they enjoy. Older children confidently join in with action songs. Staff identify any concerns early, using a communication assessment tool. Their fast approach to providing support helps to close gaps in children's learning quickly and helps to build on children's vocabulary.
• Staff consider children's interests when planning learning experiences and plan for these in the moment. However, sometimes, staff place more emphasis on the activities on offer rather than on what they want children to learn. This means that experiences do not always provide enough challenge to build even further on what children know and can do.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate support through monitoring, responsive staff and timely referrals. Staff inform parents of any concerns, and they work together to ensure the best outcomes for children.
• Staff demonstrate an understanding of children's life experiences. They add to their overall capabilities by offering events or trips outside the setting. For instance, they go to the pumpkin farm or feed local lambs. Children access weekly physical education sessions. This helps them to learn about the world around them.
• Staff know their key children extremely well and can talk about their current interests and stages of development. Robust transition activities between rooms ensure that information is shared with new key staff and continuity of care is maintained.
• Children form strong friendships with their peers and seek them out to share experiences. Children gather around the dough table and exchange ideas with excitement. Staff facilitate this and place emphasis on building relationships.
• Staff promote children's independence in all rooms. For example, toddlers wash their own faces after eating, and pre-school children put on their own shoes and clear their plates away. Babies are encouraged to climb on the small equipment by themselves.
• Children are taught to adopt a healthy lifestyle. They have nutritious snacks and meals, take part in regular physical exercise, drink water and learn about cleaning their teeth. Recently, a parent, who is a dentist, visited the setting to speak to the children about healthy teeth and provided some resources to support children's learning.
• Partnerships with parents are a strength at this setting. Parents comment very positively about communication, support from leaders and interactions between staff and their children. There are regular opportunities for parents to gather information about their children's learning. The setting provides additional guidance on specific topics to support families. Leaders are committed to taking in part in community projects to support their families.
• Leaders place staff's well-being in high regard. They provide staff with regular supervision sessions and training. However, professional development opportunities are not consistently focused on building on all staff's knowledge and teaching skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help all staff to consistently focus on what they want children to learn, to support every child to make the best possible progress
• focus supervision sessions and professional development opportunities on enhancing staff's knowledge of the curriculum and raising the quality of their teaching further.