Mohair Centre Holiday Playscheme, After School Club & Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff have put in place an effective key-person system to ensure that children are always cared for by someone who understands their needs.

This helps children feel safe and secure and build positive relationships with others. Children are excited to arrive at the setting, greet their friends and check how the animals are. Babies are welcomed with big smiles and open arms.

Staff are particularly careful to follow their familiar routines from home to help them settle quickly.Staff help children gain a wide range of useful skills that prepare them well for their future learning. Children enjoy spending lots of time outsi...de on the farm and in the woods, where they have enormous fun getting messy and becoming engrossed in activities.

Staff teach them how to care for animals such as rabbits, pigs and peacocks. Children rapidly develop their physical skills. For instance, they walk and run over different surfaces and use tools carefully to whittle sticks.

They are eager to communicate with staff and talk about what they have seen and heard. Staff use strategies such as simple sign language and picture cards to skilfully include children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so everyone benefits fully from the experiences on offer. Staff are good role models.

They set clear expectations for children's behaviour and offer calm and patient guidance when children struggle with their emotions. Children cooperate well with each other as they play. For instance, they work together to fill up the water trough outside.

They quickly learn the daily routines and remember the rules. Staff help them develop a good understanding of how to behave safely. For example, children understand why staff need to pour water onto the campfire to cool it down and make sure the flames have completely gone out.

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

Since the last inspection, managers and staff have worked hard to make significant improvements. Managers have reviewed and strengthened arrangements for recruiting and checking new staff to make sure they are suitable. All staff have developed their understanding of procedures to follow if they have concerns about a child's welfare.

These changes help successfully promote children's safety and well-being.Stories and songs are an important part of every day. Staff use books as an inspiration for a variety of activities, and older children thoroughly enjoy recalling familiar tales and acting out stories.

They develop their vocabulary when staff repeat new words, such as 'deserted', and explain their meaning. Younger children join in with songs with enthusiasm. Staff take the time to make sure that all children have their turn to share their ideas or sing a song so that everyone develops strong communication skills.

Staff have greatly improved their understanding of the curriculum. They now have a clear idea of what they want children to learn while they are at nursery. They make good use of funding to provide individual support where needed and put in place well-thought-out plans to meet children's specific care or learning needs.

However, some staff are still building their confidence in planning interesting activities that link to the curriculum and the skills individual children are ready to learn next. On occasion, activities do not build precisely enough on individual children's existing knowledge and skills or fully capture their interest to help motivate them to learn.Children receive consistent support to become more independent.

Staff successfully extend children's self-care skills as they progress through the nursery. The youngest children begin to feed themselves, and toddlers learn to spread toppings on their crackers. By the time they are in pre-school, children confidently pour their own drinks and serve themselves lunch.

Staff value each child's unique background and experiences. Children learn about different ways that their friends celebrate at home, such as Three Kings Day and Chinese New Year. Staff encourage children to respect each other and get along well.

They sensitively help them resolve disputes and plan activities where they practise listening to one another and taking turns.Managers prioritise staff well-being and offer regular supervision sessions to support them. However, arrangements to consistently monitor staff practice more precisely are not fully in place.

This means, at times, managers do not swiftly identify any minor practice issues or areas where staff would benefit from further coaching, training or support. This does not help staff to continually develop their skills and knowledge on an ongoing basis.Parents are warmly welcomed into the nursery.

Staff work with them closely. They keep them well informed on a day-to-day basis and provide regular, detailed updates about children's progress and development. They offer useful ideas and suggestions to help parents continue children's learning at home.

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: develop further staff's understanding of how to implement the curriculum and plan activities that build on individual children's knowledge and skills strengthen the arrangements to identify and address areas for improvement in staff practice.