Rachaels Rascals

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enjoy attending the setting and feel safe and secure.

The provider and staff know the children well. They have a clear understanding of their starting points and individual needs. Staff use this information to plan a well-balanced curriculum that enables children to make good progress in their learning.

Children develop an appreciation for books. They are freely available in each of the rooms. From the youngest child up, they enjoy choosing their own books and sitting and looking at the pictures.

As they get older, children start to tell stories, as they turn the pages. However, there are times in the... day where children are not involved in activities, such as story time before lunch. This means that children become restless and wonder round the room.

Children are confident and they have secure attachments with key persons and other members of staff. They seek out adults for comfort and reassurance when needed. Their behaviour is managed well.

When children run inside, staff remind them to have walking feet. Staff give lots of reminders about sharing resources. Children develop caring attitudes.

For example, they offer comfort to other children by passing them their cuddly toy.

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

The provider demonstrates a reflective approach. She understands how important it is to gain the views of staff and parents to help her inform priorities and set challenging targets.

Since the last inspection, she has worked with the local authority and put development plans in place. This has had a positive impact on the running of the setting and on staff's understanding of an effective curriculum.The provider monitors staff practice effectively.

She holds regular one-to-one sessions and appraisals with them. She works alongside staff in their rooms. This means she can observe their practice and help them to improve if any weaknesses are identified.

Staff have also started to do peer-on-peer observations. This helps them to identify what they could do better in their own practice.The provider ensures that additional funding, such as early years pupil premium, is used effectively to promote the well-being and learning of individual children.

Staff support children's early language development well. During circle time, they sing familiar rhymes. Young children follow the actions that staff do and join in, such as lying down as a sleeping bunny and jumping up.

Staff sit at children's level and talk to them during activities. They repeat words for children, so they hear the correct way to say them. Older children learn new words when they learn about autumn, such as acorns, bat, and hedgehog.

Staff support children's early mathematical skills successfully. Staff and children count during everyday activities. Older children count up to nine and understand how many they will have if they add one more.

Children are also confident in using size language. For example, they say the toy lion is a big lion.Children enjoy nourishing meals and snacks with their friends.

The provider ensures that children receive a healthy, balanced diet. However, good hygiene is not always practised. For example, snack is served without individual plates or bowls for children, and children's noses are not wiped as soon as they run.

The provider and staff understand that not all children have access to a garden at home. Therefore, they offer regular access to the outdoor environment at the setting. Children enjoy the open space.

However, the decking area has become slippy. This means that children fall over sometimes, and they may hurt themselves.Parents are very complimentary about the provider and staff.

They fully appreciate the efforts of staff to support their child and family. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure they always offer the best support for each child. Parents state that they would be lost without the setting.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The provider reinforces safeguarding with staff in all that they do to support children's safety and welfare. She carries out spot questionnaires, asks them what they would do when she presents them with scenarios and discusses it at one-to-one meetings to test their knowledge and understanding.

Staff know and understand possible signs that may give them concern that a child is at risk. They identify correct procedures to take if they have any concerns. The provider deploys staff effectively to keep children safe.

The premises are secure so that no unwanted visitors may enter. Overall, the setting is safe for children, except for the decking area outside.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: make sure that play surface areas are safe in the garden for children, such as the decking support staff to consistently follow robust hygiene practice, such as serving snack in a hygienic way and wiping runny noses as soon as they notice review and enhance some parts of the daily routines to maximise the learning for all children.

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