Kids 1st - Wansbeck

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The setting is exciting and stimulating for children. Key persons know children well. They plan activities that meet children's needs and encourage them to develop new skills.

For example, staff demonstrate how to use equipment, such as vegetable peelers and a garlic press. They encourage children to use these to investigate and examine vegetables. Children have regular access to outdoor play.

They run, jump and balance on large beams in the garden. Staff provide children with healthy meals and snacks. They use snack and mealtimes as an opportunity to talk to children about the importance of making healthy food choices....

Pre-school children learn about democracy as they take part in voting. For example, they place wooden pegs on the story they would like to hear. This helps children to learn to about choice and to respect each other's decisions.

Staff pay particular attention to helping new children to settle into the setting. They provide cuddles and reassurance to new children on their first day at the setting. This helps to support children's emotional well-being.

Children confidently choose what they would like to play with. Staff successfully promote children's good behaviour. They encourage children to share, take turns and play cooperatively together.

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

The manager has a very good knowledge of her role and individual responsibilities. She is well supported by her extended leadership team. Together they have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the setting and strive for continuous improvement.

The staff team is well supported by the management team through supervision sessions, regular staff meetings, training and access to counselling services. This helps to support staff's well-being.Overall, staff provide good support for children and parents when they start at the setting.

They regularly share information with parents to help them to understand how their children's learning can be further supported at home. Parents are happy with the progress that their children make and speak very highly of the setting. Staff encourage parents to visit the setting with their children and gather vital information from parents about what their children can do when they first start the setting.

However, the information gathered from parents is not used effectively to plan highly challenging activities for children from the very beginning.The quality of teaching across the setting is generally good. Staff are highly qualified and have a good knowledge of children's individual needs.

However, occasionally, staff unnecessarily interrupt children's play when they complete routine tasks.Staff plan a range of adult-led activities that encourage children's physical development. For example, young children develop their fine dexterity skills as they build with blocks and wash animals in the water.

Older children develop their large muscles as they ride bicycles and splash in puddles in the garden.Staff carry out detailed observations and, overall, use these to plan effectively for children's learning. Ongoing assessments ensure that staff always know that children are making good progress.

The management team has a good overview of learning and assessment. It monitors planning and analyses children's development to identify areas for improvement.Children's communication and language skills are supported very well.

Staff describe what children are doing as they play, introduce new words and use effective questioning skills. Children's communication skills are further enhanced as children read and sing with staff. Children are developing the skills needed for their next stage of learning.

Staff provide children with lots of opportunities to lead their own play. For example, children enjoy pretending to buy fruit and vegetables from their role-play shop. They discuss they type of items they are buying and hand over money to the shopkeeper.

This helps to develop children's imaginative skills. However, in the room for children under two years old, staff do not consistently encourage children to represent their own ideas to further strengthen their creative skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and managers are very knowledgeable about safeguarding legislation. They have a comprehensive knowledge of the possible signs that a child is at risk of harm and of how to report concerns. All staff regularly attend training to help keep their knowledge up to date.

The manager carries out robust recruitment procedures to ensure that all staff working with children are suitable. Staff complete regular checks on the indoor and outdoor environment to help them to identify and eliminate any risks.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nuse the information gathered from parents about what children can already do, in order to plan effective and challenging activities from the very beginning develop further opportunities for younger children to develop their creativity, such as exploring and using a variety of materials to represent their own ideas revise the organisation of routine tasks, so that children's play is not unnecessarily interrupted.