Foulsham & Bintree Playgroup

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children develop strong bonds to the attentive staff, particularly their key person.

They ask staff for help when they need it and invite staff to join in with their play. Older children confidently speak about why they like attending the setting. Children behave very well.

Staff help them to develop their social skills. For example, staff encourage children to learn how to take turns. Staff share their clear expectations of children's behaviour with them.

This helps children to understand what they need to do to contribute to the calm, safe and positive environment. For example, staff encourage the most able ...and older children to support those who are still learning new skills, such as washing their hands. Staff recognise children's individual personalities and help them to build their confidence to join in at a pace that is comfortable for each child.

Children show, through their positive attitudes to learning, that they thoroughly enjoy their time at this setting. Children take turns to fill a watering can and transport the water to create puddles, which they then gleefully jump in. Children become confident to freely express their ideas.

For example, they suggest making a crown when they are experimenting with cutting up various types of paper and using sticky tape. Staff support them to achieve their goal.

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

Staff work closely together to create the professional and friendly atmosphere, where children feel safe and are at ease.

Staff report high levels of support for their own well-being. Effective management systems are in place to ensure that staff provide children with good-quality care and education, which continuously improves.Managers have an in-depth knowledge of how young children develop and learn.

They use this to skilfully plan learning opportunities, which are aimed at children's specific learning needs. When children need additional support to make progress, staff carry out their own research to find out how they can promote and support children's development further.Staff mindfully promote the use of number and other mathematical language.

Young children spontaneously use numbers during their play. Staff help children to further their mathematical understanding. For example, staff encourage children to compare the lengths of the worms they found while digging in the mud with their friends.

Staff get to know children and their families very well. This means that they are well placed to support children through changes that happen in their home lives. When children and their families need extra support, leaders work closely with them and other professionals.

This helps to ensure children's safety and well-being, and helps parents to access appropriate support.The regular conversations that staff have with children help to develop children's communication skills well. They build good vocabularies, and their understanding of the world grows.

However, staff do not demonstrate consistently strong skills in promoting children's ability to think of their own solutions to challenges.Staff use some resources and plan some activities to introduce children to the language of feelings and some strategies to help them express how they are feeling, such as using faces with emotions and showing them to staff. However, staff do not consistently help children to develop the language of feelings during their routine interactions, such as those times when children show that they are upset.

Staff encourage children to build on their self-care skills. They remind children what they need to do to stay safe. Children learn how to meet their own basic needs, such as fetching their drinks, buttering their bread and tidying away their boots.

Leaders work to help the children become a positive part of their local community and to benefit from the various opportunities that arise through other community activities. This enhances the range of children's experiences and their sense of belonging.Successful strategies help children to develop a love for books and reading.

Staff regularly read to children, who access books independently. The staff loan story sacks to parents to use with their children at home. This helps with children's early literacy skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to help children to think about solutions and solve problems for themselves guide staff to recognise and help children understand how to acknowledge and express their feelings.