Village Bears Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children who attend this setting are happy and develop well. They benefit from kind and caring staff, who treat them with respect and consideration. This helps children to develop their confidence and independence. Children learn in a safe and stimulating environment. Children's emotional well-being, and their speech, language, and communication is a priority. They engage in meaningful interactions and build strong relationships with staff. Every child has a key person, who is knowledgeable about them and their families. Children have their needs met and receive the attention they need.

Children access a broad curriculum and demonstrate a positive attitude towards their learning. They are curious to take part in activities and show their enjoyment. Children can make choices within their play and learning. For example, their excitement is delightful as they talk about books they are going to share. When they cannot decide which book to read, they suggest to staff that they can listen to the two stories, one after the other. Children are learning to take turns, share and resolve conflicts. They are beginning to form friendships with other children and are polite and friendly. Children show care and consideration to other children if they see them upset or hurt.

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

• Staff plan their curriculum around broad themes and children's interests. For example, when children find a worm while playing and exploring the mud, staff decide to use this discovery to plan an activity to create a wormery. Staff recognise the benefits of these types of activities for children's overall development. However, during some of these activities, staff are not always clear about what the intentions for learning are and how they match to children's learning needs.
• Staff recognise the importance of tracking children's progress. They work closely with parents, and other settings children also attend, to gather information to inform their baseline assessments. Staff use an online learning journal to record and monitor children's assessments. Staff regularly share children's progress with parents and highlight their next steps in learning.
• Overall, children's behaviour is good, and children show they have some understanding of how to behave. However, staff do not always explain their expectations for behaviour, such as why it is important to walk inside, clearly to children. As a result, during periods of transition, such as coming in from outside, children do run across the room, which is a potential hazard.
• Staff promote outdoor learning and healthy lifestyles. Children access the outdoor area to ensure they are physically active every day and they enjoy the benefits of being outdoors and exploring mud on 'muddy days'. Staff use outdoors to extend children's learning. For example, they encourage children to explore the wind with scarves. Staff provide children with healthy food and fresh water, which they can access with some support.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. This contributes to effective information sharing. Parents access their children's online learning journals. They enjoy looking at photos of their children learning. Staff provide parents with home learning activities and share advice to support them at home. Parents express their positive views about the staff. They say staff are professional, caring, friendly and approachable.
• Staff make good links with local schools. Staff work closely with teachers to support transition into Reception. Reception teachers visit the setting to see the children in a familiar environment. They also talk to the child's key person. This supports children when they move on to school and ensures consistency in their care and learning. The special educational needs coordinator works with other agencies to get the right support and funding for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Leadership is strong and self-evaluation is effective. Arrangements for staff recruitment, induction and supervision are robust. Staff access relevant training through an online training provider. Staff's well-being is a priority at the setting. The manager monitors workload to ensure that it is manageable.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to identify clear intentions for the learning activities and experiences they provide
• provide children with clear explanations about behaviour to help them understand why some safety rules are in place.