Minster Playgroup

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are confident, happy and settled in their play. They enjoy a safe, secure and clean setting that supports them to build on their learning with joy.

Staff have a high expectation of children's abilities and encourage them to try new activities. For instance, children carry out simple science experiments to explore floating and sinking during water play. Children build meaningful friendships and gain good social skills.

For instance, they play happily together, take turns and share resources with maturity. Children develop a good sense of empathy, are kind and caring. For example, they regularly visit older peop...le to share activities and stories with them.

Staff build on children's ideas and interests well. For example, children who are fascinated by dinosaurs go on to make a dinosaur land using natural objects such as leaves. Children have good opportunities to add their ideas to the activity plans and this helps to keep them motivated to learn.

Children feel valued, involved and listened to. Staff use additional funding to meet the individual needs of children effectively. For instance, outdoor play equipment has been purchased, such as a climbing wall to support children's physical development.

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

Staff know children and their individual personalities well. Children have a good sense of belonging, positive well-being and self-esteem. Staff know children's care routines and meet their individual needs.

However, staff do not consistently encourage children to fully understand the importance of following good health and hygiene routines.The manager and staff establish positive partnerships with other professionals. For example, they share children's achievements with staff at settings they also attend.

This helps them to support children through a good, consistent approach.Children follow the rules and boundaries with confidence and know what is expected of them. They are polite, kind, respectful and listen to each other's ideas.

All staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively. They closely liaise with outside agencies to share ideas to support children's progress. For example, they share helpful strategies with speech and language therapists.

Staff have a good knowledge of the curriculum and they implement all areas of learning well. This helps to keep children motivated to learn. However, staff do not consistently provide children with enough time to think and then respond to questions, to help extend their thinking and speaking skills even further.

Children have good opportunities to challenge their physical skills. For instance, they explore the different ways that they can move their bodies in weekly yoga and musical movement classes.Staff provide children with good opportunities to gain skills to help them to succeed in life and support them for their future learning.

For instance, children are independent and complete their own tasks with confidence.All staff establish positive partnerships with parents and keep them fully involved in their children's learning. They share activity ideas for them to enjoy at home, such as books and puppets to bring their children's imagination alive.

The manager closely monitors the quality of care and teaching. For example, daily interactions between staff and children are observed. These observations are then used to set targets which enhance staff performance.

Staff are keen to keep up to date with new early years information and build on their skills and knowledge even further. They attend training beneficial to their practice. For instance, they have learned about the different ways to support children who speak English as an additional language to meet their full potential.

Self-evaluation is effective and this fully includes all staff, parents and children. Staff hold regular discussions to review how well the day's events engaged children. They use their findings to support their future activity plans.

Staff take into careful consideration the views and ideas shared by parents and children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff have good knowledge and understanding of the safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures to help protect children's safety and welfare.

They know who to contact to seek advice and understand the importance of remaining professional. Staff closely monitor thorough risk assessments which cover all aspects of practice. As a result, staff know how to deal with accidents effectively.

Staff deploy themselves well and always meet the required ratio. The manager ensures recruitment is safe and all required checks are carried out on staff to ensure their suitability, including committee members.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nextend opportunities for children to think and freely express and communicate their ideas more consistently develop children's understanding of consistently following good health and hygiene routines to meet their personal needs more extensively.

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