The Phoenix Kindergarten

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision requires improvement Children are supported to understand the routines of the day, which are embedded by staff. For example, staff sing songs with children when they ask them to wash their hands.

This is to promote children's hand hygiene routines. Children are praised for their achievements, such as when they are creative and attach natural objects to clay. This helps to raise their self-esteem and confidence.

Staff give children gentle reminders to show positive behaviour. This includes reminding them to take it in turns to shake musical instruments when they sing songs. Children are keen to explore the environment, both indoors and outdoor...s.

However, children are not supported to make the most progress of which they are capable. This is because the quality of staff's teaching is variable. For example, not all children are supported by staff to be engaged or to build on their learning during planned activities.

That said, children are encouraged to develop their communication and language skills. For example, staff sing songs with children. The manager reads children the same story for one week, holding the book so children can see the pages.

The manager recognises that reading the same story encourages children to recall and talk about events in the story. When children demonstrate their physical skills and access large equipment in the garden, staff supervise them well. For instance, the manager stands close by and offers support and suggestions of ways they can go down steps safely on their own.

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

The manager does not ensure that monitoring and coaching of staff are fully effective. This leads to the quality of some staff's teaching being weak. For example, occasionally, outdoors, staff supervise children but do not interact or support their learning effectively.

The manager does hold meetings with staff to discuss the needs of individual children.The manager and staff support children's personal, social and emotional development. For example, when children first start, they are invited to come with parents for initial visits and then to attend on their own.

Staff find out about children's experiences at home and hold discussions with them about these. This contributes to children feeling emotionally secure in staff's care.The manager is quick to identify and meet the needs of individual children during structured times of the day, such as when she reads stories to children.

For example, when some children show signs of becoming restless indoors, the manager asks staff to take them outdoors for fresh air and exercise. This strategy is successful in providing some children with the physical exercise they need and others with opportunities to listen.Children who speak English as an additional language receive support for their language development.

For example, some staff use key phrases in children's home language to help them settle when they first start. Gestures are also used, along with sign language, to help children to understand what is being asked of them in English.Some staff help children to learn how food is grown.

For example, children help staff to plant and grow vegetables in the garden. Children learn the names of the vegetables they harvest, such as turnips and beetroot. Staff offer children a range of healthy snacks, promoting a nutritious diet.

However, staff do not help children to understand the importance of oral health and how this contributes to a healthy lifestyle.Staff are very calm and patient. They have rules and boundaries in place to help children learn how they can keep themselves safe.

For example, they talk to children about asking if they can climb the 'climbing tree' and for only one child to climb at a time, to head height only.The new manager has made some changes to the setting since she started. For example, she sends newsletters to parents to keep them informed of activities their children take part in.

However, the manager and staff do not share with parents how they can continue to support their children's learning at home. This will provide a more united approach to supporting children's development.Some staff, but not all, support children's mathematical skills.

For example, when children play outside, some staff ask them to find straight lines in the environment. Children explore outdoors and show delight in telling staff when they find fencing that has straight edges. However, this is not consistent practice across the staff team.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager and staff know how to identify and report any concerns they may have regarding children's safety or welfare. The manager checks that staff's knowledge is current by, for example, giving them scenarios to answer, which supports them to have an up-to-date knowledge of how to identify the signs of abuse.

Risk assessments are carried out in the environment, which helps to identify and remove any potential hazards, to promote children's safety. For example, the manager stops children from accessing a bridge on larger climbing equipment that is identified to be unsafe. The manager and staff ensure that all gates and doors are locked.

This is to help to stop unauthorised people from having access to children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To meet the requirements of the early years foundation stage and Childcare Register the provider must: Due date ensure that the monitoring and coaching of staff's practice identify and address gaps in their teaching skills.14/03/2024 To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to help children to learn the importance of oral hygiene develop partnerships with parents and support staff to offer them ideas about how they can continue to support their children's learning at home.