Play House Childcare

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children are happy during their time at the pre-school.

Parents drop off and collect their children at the door, where they have time to speak to staff and share information. Parents report that they are happy with the care and education their children receive at the pre-school.The manager has a clear idea of what the curriculum should entail for children, with a focus on developing children's communication and language skills, their emotional well-being and managing their own personal care needs.

However, this is not fully demonstrated in practice among all staff. As a result, staff do not tailor the activities and their... support to consistently focus on children's next steps so that they can make rapid progress. At times, children become bored and frustrated, and their behaviour becomes unacceptable.

This impacts on other children's learning.Children make choices about what they want to play with. They confidently explore the pre-school environment both indoors and out.

However, transitional times between activities and play opportunities are not always organised to ensure that all children have the best learning experience. As a result, some children are left waiting for long periods of time before they can join in, and others are unable to engage fully in learning opportunities.

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

The manager has a clear direction for making improvements to the nursery.

She has identified an agenda for the staff's professional development. However, training has not been focused well enough on staff's teaching skills to ensure that children consistently benefit from good learning experiences.Staff do not consistently deliver a curriculum that meets the individual needs of all children.

They do not differentiate planned activities to include the intended learning for children at different developmental stages. For example, a dough-making activity was aimed at children mixing, measuring, and making their own dough. Some children do not receive the support they need to have a go and achieve, while others do not receive enough challenge to build on what they already know and can do.

Children disengage quickly from the activity.Strategies for managing behaviour are not implemented consistently by all staff and some children do not learn to manage their own feelings or understand why their behaviour is unacceptable. On occasion, this means that staff spend a disproportionate amount of time managing children's behaviour.

At these times, staff leave quieter children to play, without supporting them to make progress in their individual learning journeys.There are times during the day when children's needs are not consistently met. This is often because staff need to carry out routine tasks, such as nappy times, tidying or preparing to serve snack, which takes them away from the main group for extended periods.

As a result, transition times can be chaotic, with children becoming unsettled, and the remaining staff are not always able to support all children's emotional and learning needs in a timely manner.Pre-school children learn independence skills. Older children know they need to wash their hands before lunch and after toileting and do this independently.

They help to sweep the floor after activities and confidently pour water into their cups. Staff remind and assist younger children to find their own shoes and coats and support them in putting these on.Staff carefully consider how to support children in their physical development.

Children strengthen the muscles in their hands and develop their hand-eye coordination. For example, they make marks with paint or pens, knead play dough and dig in the soil. Children develop their agility, flexibility, and balance through activities, such as balancing along beams, rolling or kicking balls and using ride-along bikes.

These opportunities help children to make good progress in their physical development.Staff form positive partnerships with parents who are happy with the setting. Parents feel the communication at the nursery is effective.

They are kept informed of matters regarding their children and are given support when needed. For example, staff support parents when children are potty training.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have completed training on child protection to support their knowledge and understanding. The manager is proactive. She make regular checks to ensure that staff are familiar with their roles and responsibilities.

The manager ensures that staff know what to do if they have a concern about a child in their care, or a concern about another professional. Staff ensure that the premises are secure, and monitor any visitors to the pre-school, including the arrival and collection times of children, to keep children safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date design and implement an ambitious curriculum that consolidates and deepens children's knowledge and takes account of the varying needs of the children who attend 29/02/2024 implement targeted professional development for all staff to support them in their teaching and provide children with consistently good learning experiences 29/02/2024 improve staff's practice to help children to begin to manage their own feelings and emotions in order to guide them to become competent, successful learners.

31/01/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review and improve the organisation of routines and deployment of staff to respond to children's needs more effectively so they can engage in the learning taking place