Whitegate Early Years Care

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle well at this safe and nurturing setting. Staff have worked hard to address the actions from the last inspection. For example, they plan and implement a clear and ambitious curriculum. As a result, all children are making good progress. Staff understand how to sequence children's learning. For example, they encourage babies to pull themselves to standing. Staff provide furniture to help children to cruise around the room. Once children can walk, they help them to progress with skills such as climbing steps. Children show delight in their achievements, clapping their hands together. They give beaming smiles to the supportive staff, who are close by giving reassurance and praise. Overall, children build on their skills over time.

The curriculum has a strong focus on developing children's speech and communication skills. Staff take time to listen to children, they repeat the words children say, and give children time to respond in conversation. In addition, children are taught some basic sign language. For example, at snack time children use the signs for 'more' and 'thankyou'. This helps children who are not yet talking to be able to communicate. Staff consistently model kind and caring behaviour, they encourage children to turn take and share. This helps children to know what behaviours are expected of them. Parents comment on the improvements in their children's social skills.

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

• Staff have worked hard to further improve provision since the last inspection. Leaders understand their role in providing information to Ofsted to help determine the suitability of people involved in the setting. They have worked hard to develop and implement a curriculum which is focussed on the needs of the children attending. While leaders still have plans for improvement, overall, the curriculum supports children to make good progress.
• The curriculum is planned to help children build the skills they need to achieve their next stage of learning. For example, staff focus their interactions on turn taking during activities, to help children build their communication skills. However, during free play, staff sometimes focus on what children can do currently, rather than what they need to learn next. On these occasions, staff interactions are less effective in supporting children to build on their current learning.
• Staff consider children's physical development in planning the curriculum. For example, they encourage children to stand while playing. They know this supports children's core strength. In addition, staff plan trips out so that children can access an obstacle course. Children learn to climb and balance. They make good progress in their physical development.
• Children learn to be independent. For example, at snack time staff help children to peel oranges and to scoop seeds from melons. Even young children pour their own drinks. When there is a spillage, staff are calm and supportive. This helps children to persevere. Children develop a 'can do' attitude and they manage self-care tasks well.
• Staff support children's good behaviour. For example, they encourage children to pass equipment to their friends. They teach children to listen and join in group activities such as singing times. Children develop positive attitudes to their learning that will help them as they progress to nursery and school.
• Staff use their knowledge of child development to help identify gaps in children's learning. They work closely with parents to provide a consistent approach. For example, they share ideas for activities that parents can use at home. Where other agencies are involved, staff follow the advice of specialists, for example, physiotherapists. This helps to reduce gaps in learning and all children make good progress from their starting points.
• Care routines are generally followed. For example, children wash their hands before eating. However, some staff do not consistently implement good hygiene practises. For example, some staff do not remind children not to put toys in their mouth. They do not always wash toys after young children have mouthed them. On these occasions children are not learning consistently good hygiene routines.
• Regular supervision and coaching sessions are offered. Leaders identify training opportunities that help to build staff knowledge. For example, about how children learn. However, supervision and coaching is not focused on precisely identifying how staff may enhance their skills in order to raise the quality of teaching even further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to consistently implement children's next steps in learning, particularly during spontaneous interactions and activities
• support staff to consistently adhere to and maintain hygiene routines, to help children to learn healthy practises
• identify precisely what individual staff need to do to raise the quality of their teaching even further.