Yew Tree Road Children's Centre Early Years Service

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled, they separate well from their parents as they excitedly arrive with eagerness and smiles. Staff have nice bonds with the children and are good role models. Planning meets the needs of the children, and they engage well in activities of their choosing. Staff adapt these well to encourage all children to join in. For example, during a story time activity the children wanted to be outside. Staff adapt and move the activity into the garden.

Children show they know what is expected of them and behave well. Staff have high expectations for children and give them clear instructions which children follow well. Staff have excellent knowledge of the children and support them well. Children explore confidently and are building nice friendships. They play well alongside or with each other. If conflicts arise, staff support children to find solutions to these.

Children enjoy spending time outdoors. The well-planned garden provides children with new experiences. They show delight as they dig in sand and discover the hidden animals. Children excitedly run and jump to catch and pop bubbles. They laugh as they follow staff to move in different ways building on their physical skills. Staff use this opportunity to introduce new words to the children, such as, wading and leaping. These opportunities support children's growing vocabulary alongside their developing physical skills.

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

• Managers have good oversight of the setting and what they want children to achieve. They plan an ambitious curriculum which is reviewed regularly. They successfully adapt their approach, planning and environment to meet the needs of the children attending at the time. They recognise the needs of the children and families and plan accordingly to meet these.
• Staff are well supported and are happy in their roles. Leaders and managers support staff through effective supervision and staff meetings. This means staff continually develop their teaching. Staff attend regular training to support their ongoing professional development. As a result, children benefit from good quality teaching that supports them to progress in their individual development.
• Overall, communication and language is supported well. Staff recognise different methods to support children, such as using picture cards. They talk to children while they play and ask questions to help them think and extend their learning. However, on some occasions staff do not recognise when quieter children need encouragement to join in. This means, during these times, some children's learning is not as successful as it could be.
• Independence is supported well, and children are taught how to put their coats and shoes on by themselves. They help to prepare their own snacks and tidy their spaces once they have finished. Children are praised for these achievements and show pride in being able to complete tasks for themselves.
• Mathematics is incorporated well into activities. Staff give children lots of encouragement to count and explore the different sizes and shapes of everyday objects. This is implemented very naturally while the children play. Staff sing counting songs to the children and provide activities that introduce children to measuring and weighing. For example, children concentrate as they count how many cups of water fill the larger jug.
• Staff teach children about healthy eating and the importance of good oral hygiene. They provide children with healthy snacks and parents are supported to understand what makes a healthy lunch box. Daily sessions to brush their teeth further supports children's growing understanding of keeping themselves healthy.
• Staff work closely with families to help support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They support parents to make referrals to other agencies to ensure that children and families get the support they need in the quickest time possible. This means all children make good progress.
• Parents report that their children are happy and excited to come, they say that the settling in sessions work well and are adapted to meet the child's needs. Parents receive updates on what their children have been doing. Staff regularly invite parents into the setting to observe story times or for special occasions and celebrations.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the consistency of staff interactions to ensure all children experience the same high-quality interactions, particularly less confident children to take their learning to the highest level.