Zone 4 Kids

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are excited to arrive at this warm and friendly setting. They quickly settle in and enjoy the interesting activities that have been planned for them. Parents comment on how much their children enjoy being in the setting. Children enjoy listening to stories and songs. This helps them to develop their speech and new words quickly. Staff act as good role models. They are polite and respectful to each other and to children. As a result, children treat each other with respect and share resources willingly. They are encouraged to take appropriate risks safely. For example, children use narrow balance beams and negotiate a steep incline.

Children benefit from relationships with the wider community. For example, they helped to restore a rocking chair and presented it to a local residential home. This helps children to learn about the wider world. Children visit the nearby beach to learn about the environment around them. They take part in litter collections to learn about caring for their surroundings and develop responsible behaviours for the future. All children progress well in their learning and development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are carefully supported. Staff work effectively to identify and meet children's individual needs. They undertake specialised training to develop and enhance their knowledge of how best to support children.

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

• Staff have a firm understanding of the curriculum. Overall, they skilfully engage with children, providing correct levels of support. Staff know when to interact with children to build on what they already know and can do. For example, they let children share their knowledge about sea anemones, and then step in to expand their knowledge further. Outside, children lead their own learning, and staff support them by enthusiastically joining in.
• Children demonstrate a love of books. They share stories indoors, outside and at the beach. Children bring books over to the staff to share with them. Staff read with great enthusiasm. They speak very clearly using a rich range of vocabulary. Staff link activities to stories, to further support children's communication and language.
• Children develop their independence skills. For example, they enthusiastically serve their own food at lunchtime. Children are helpful as they confidently tidy away what they have been playing with. They develop a secure foundation for their future learning.
• Staff implement effective care practices. Children wash their hands thoroughly before they eat. This supports their physical health and their increasing independence.
• The manager has a vision for the nursery and is making progress in achieving it.
• She strives to provide a good early years experience for each child. Staff endeavour to provide opportunities which children would not normally receive. For example, children enjoy outings to a local recycling centre, and benefit from French lessons. Staff morale is high. They say that they are valued and supported. As a result, there is a stable staff team.
• Staff have good relationships with parents. They update parents on their children's progress and share what they have been doing during the day. This supports parents to continue their children's learning at home.
• Overall, the highly committed staff team enhances children's learning opportunities and outcomes. However, on occasions, staff do not organise larger group activities effectively. Children become bored as they have to wait a long time for a turn. For example, an activity based on balancing and then finding rhyming words led to children queueing. As a result, they missed the opportunity to participate because they lost interest due to the wait.
• Children are very well supported in their mathematical development. They understand concepts such as size and weight, and make comparisons between the objects which they are playing with. Staff skilfully question children about position, numbers and quantities. Children explore their mathematical understanding through experiments. For example, they independently calculate where to place a box so it will catch cars coming down a ramp.
• Staff follow children's lead and encourage them to problem-solve and experiment. Children show high levels of perseverance. For example, in the garden, they repeatedly rebuild car ramps until they find a way to make them secure.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of larger group activities to ensure that all children remain fully engaged and interested in their learning.