Woodlands (CIO)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the pre-school with a skip and a jump as they are warmly welcomed by the fun-loving staff, with whom they build strong attachments. Children immediately feel safe and relaxed when staff embrace their energy and enthusiasm and join in their jumping games. Staff provide high-quality resources and plan stimulating activities, both indoors and outdoors, that are easily accessible and support children to make choices in their play. Staff provide adult-led focused learning opportunities loosely based around a 'book of the week'. Children learn in small groups and develop good attention and listening skills, which are the essential foundations of communication.

Staff use their extensive knowledge of individual children to continually offer inviting learning opportunities that extend their learning and development. For example, during free play, children design and make individual rocket ships from magnetic shapes. Staff swiftly notice their interest in space and provide them with additional space-themed resources and books. Staff's skilful interactions extend children's social communication skills as they become increasingly engaged in imaginary play with their peers. As children play, staff model taking turns with popular toys and praise their kind behaviours. Children show the effectiveness of this teaching when offering resources to peers, who ask politely to play with them.

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

• The dedicated management team and staff have a clear and shared vision for providing good quality, inclusive teaching and care to all children. Staff successfully embed a well-planned curriculum that ensures all children develop the key skills needed for the next stage in their learning such as starting school. The management team maintains close links with the local schools to ensure children's seamless transitions to school.
• Staff gather in-depth information from parents when children first start to support them effectively and help ensure they settle smoothly. Additionally, extensive, collaborative working with outside professionals means all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make rapid progress from the start. Meticulous health care plans are provided for children who need it, ensuring their ongoing safety and well-being.
• Parents applaud the excellent daily communication they receive from their children's key persons. Parents report how regular assessments of their children's progress mean they know how to further support their learning and development at home.
• Staff interact purposefully, modelling play well and asking effective questions to build on what children already know. Because staff get down to children's level to play alongside them, children feel reassured to share their ideas.
• Consequently, during a disappearing memory game, new children develop their social skills and tell others that the 'strawberry' is missing. Staff praise children's efforts and ideas, which further encourages them to try them out. Children feel empowered and giggle with delight as they introduce their idea of taking two fruits away instead of one to increase the difficulty of the game.
• When children appear upset, their key persons quickly notice and offer to read to them in the cosy area. They skilfully refer some of the emotions children are feeling to characters in the book. Children respond well to this and initiate snuggling up to them as they feel comforted. Afterwards, children return to play cooperatively with their peers, highlighting the effectiveness of this teaching approach in helping children to regulate their emotions.
• Staff provide encouragement, clear instructions and the right level of help so children become increasingly independent in managing their personal needs. Children often carry out hygiene routines independently such as washing hands before mealtimes.
• Children who find change difficult respond well when staff shake a tambourine to help children begin to understand changes in daily routines. However, staff have not fully considered how they can support children to maintain staff's high expectations and regard for looking after resources in their learning environment.
• Outdoors, children develop coordination skills through ball-passing games. They increase their knowledge of numbers when digging objects and matching quantities to numbers they find in the sand. Children who prefer to exercise indoors 'high five' visitors as they delight in dancing and moving their bodies to the music.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help children to understand how to take more care of their environment and resources, particularly around times of transition.