Tops Prince Rock

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Leaders have made many improvements since the last inspection.

All staff are competent in the handling and preparing of food to minimise risks to children. There are good hygiene procedures in place. Key persons promote children's emotional well-being effectively and staff work with children to help them understand the rules of the setting.

For example, they teach pre-school-aged children how to cut fruit safely using safety knives. These children know to keep their fingers over the knife while they chop.All children have strong attachments with staff.

They show they feel safe and secure as they seek out familiar... staff and sit next to them. Children gain comfort from staff that know them well. Staff encourage children to say 'please' and 'thank you' often and model good manners.

Children are kind and polite to each other. Pre-school-aged children know the routines of the day. For example, they wait patiently for a space at the snack table and join their friends to eat when a seat is free.

There is an ambitious personal, social and emotional development curriculum in place. Staff identify what support children need to learn next and build on this effectively. They improve children's emotional well-being and confidence.

Leaders are working towards improving staff's knowledge and skills on how to support babies and toddlers' communication and language. However, this is not fully embedded. Often, staff use long and complex sentences with babies and toddlers.

They speak over their heads and do not ensure babies and toddlers can see their faces while they talk to them to improve children's communication.

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

Staff support children's personal, social and emotional development effectively. On arrival, pre-school-aged children look for their peg with their name and the flag of the country they are from.

They learn about what makes them unique. Staff sing the 'hello song' every morning to help children learn each other's names. They use a puppet to remind children of the 'golden rules'.

Children look at photographs of positive behaviours and they remember examples of when they used 'kind hands' and 'listening ears'.Staff identify babies' and toddlers' next steps of development and know what it is they need to know and learn next. However, although staff have had some training on how to develop babies' and toddlers' early communication and language skills, they do not help these children make good enough progress.

For example, staff use complex sentences instead of using one- to two-word sentences with children who are in the very early stages of communication and language. Babies and toddlers are not able to understand the long sentences and do not respond. Staff do not build on and extend their vocabulary as well as they could.

Staff build on pre-school-aged children's early literacy skills in preparation for their next stage of education. They read a well-known story about a wolf and pigs. Children retell the story by referring to pictures and recreate the story with different characters.

However, staff do not always manage distractions effectively during all group listening activities. For example, before lunch, staff sing songs with children very close to staff who are reading to other children. At these times, children struggle to hear staff and they become distracted.

Toddlers and pre-school-aged children are independent. They climb up onto the tyre swing and take turns spinning around. These children collect a sand timer to alert their friends when it is time for them to have a go.

However, at times staff do not motivate and inspire all toddlers and pre-school-aged children outside to engage in sustained play. For example, at times, some children wander around the garden and flit between activities.Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively.

For example, staff use a 'now and next board' to help children know what is coming next. Children respond well to this and are more settled during the day. Leaders and staff work in partnership with parents and other professionals to meet the needs of children with SEND.

Toddlers and pre-school-aged children develop their knowledge of numbers effectively. They play 'What's the time Mr Wolf?' with staff. Toddlers count aloud together each time they take a step forward.

Pre-school-aged children begin to learn about the concept of time. Staff talk about the time they are going home, and the children reply with '12 o'clock' or '2 o'clock'.Leaders provide training for staff on how to support children's emotions.

Staff help children to describe their emotions and this validates children's feelings. Leaders identify that children now play more cooperatively with others and their well-being has improved.

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 meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage, the provider must: Due date improve staff knowledge to develop babies' and toddlers' early communication and language skills to build on and extend their vocabulary.17/05/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: manage distractions effectively during pre-school-aged children's group activities to help develop their listening skills develop ways to motivate and inspire toddlers and pre-school-aged children outside so they can engage in sustained play.