Wild Oaks Early Learning Centre LTD

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are well cared for. Staff build good relationships with parents. This helps babies, and other new starters, settle smoothly into the day-care routines and enjoy themselves from the start. Children learn to behave well. Staff act as good role models for sharing and taking turns with others. Children recognise that they need to wait patiently before they have their turn.

The manager has a clear understanding of what she wants children in her setting to learn and why. She is equally ambitious for all children. Since the pandemic, the manager has placed a strong focus on developing children's communication, social skills, and independence to help prepare them for their move to school. Overall, staff teach children well to help them achieve the skills they need for their future learning.

The support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is particularly good. Staff know the children well. They quickly recognise when some children might need extra help and work closely with other professionals, such as inclusion officers, to agree positive strategies. Furthermore, staff support children who receive early years pupil premium funding. For example, specific resources are bought to promote children's individual next steps. Children who receive early years pupil premium funding make good progress in their learning.

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

• The aim of the nursery curriculum is to support all children to become confident learners. Staff use their skills and the information that they gain from observations of children well to plan for children's individual next steps in development, providing activities that help children build on what they already know and can do. Leaders support staff to develop their skills and are aware of areas for development. However, there are times when some staff do not ensure that they provide support and challenge to maximise the curiosity and learning of the younger children. This leads to children sitting and observing other children's play or disengaging in their learning.
• Staff provide high levels of support for children with SEND. They involve parents in discussions and decision-making about their child. Staff work with other professionals and provide children with one-to-one support. They plan specific activities to support the targets set for each individual child. This support ensures all children are included and enables them to make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff support children's communication and language development well. They skilfully build younger children's vocabulary by repeating back and extending their sentences, adding in new words for children to hear. Pre-school staff teach older children words such as 'nocturnal' while discussing what the word means. Children begin to repeat and learn these words and use them in context.
• Staff cater to the physical needs of children. They provide babies with ample space and appropriate resources that allow them to move in different ways. This helps to strengthen their muscles in preparation for their next stage in development. Older children engage in physical activities, such as running and climbing as they take part in map reading in the large outdoor space.
• Children gain a good understanding of mathematics from their play. Staff help children to learn more about number recognition, repetitive patterns, and measurement. For example, children use chalks to draw shapes and patterns on the floor. Staff notice these and introduce numbers along with words such as 'round', 'big' and 'small'.
• Parents speak positively about the service they receive and praise the work the staff do. Staff communicate daily updates about children's care and progress. Parents explain how they appreciate regular communication, which includes parents' evenings, online newsletters, and an online app. They comment that staff make it clear how they can build on children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus professional development on helping staff respond consistently to younger children's different learning needs during activities, to ensure that they are fully challenged and engaged.