Cheeky Monkeys

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children feel happy and safe in this friendly, nurturing environment. They form strong bonds with the adults caring for them. Children spend their day chatting, playing happily and eagerly exploring the vast array of activities on offer.

Children's curiosity is captured by the caterpillars that have turned into cocoons. They observe how staff carefully place the cocoon into the special net. Children recall previous learning as they explain that the cocoons will turn into butterflies.

They explore what will happen next by looking at reference books. Children practise their good handling skills in a variety of ways. For ...example, some children draw butterflies, while others create their own designs using pens, paper, scissors and sticky tape.

Children are excited to play with their friends and work together cooperatively. For instance, when playing in the mud kitchen, they dig up soil and mix it with water, which they describe as 'mucky soup'. Older children confidently start conversations and remember what happens next in a story.

They count as they play and use mathematical language to describe the size of their pasta bracelets. Staff have high expectations for what children can achieve. Children behave well.

They learn to take appropriate risks to develop their physical skills. For example, they carefully balance over the crates and clamber up and down the lower limbs of the tree.

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

The leadership of the setting is strong.

The manager recognises the skills and expertise of her staff and values their ideas. All staff receive good support and mentoring. They are highly motivated and work very effectively together.

This creates a very positive and efficient environment for children to play and learn.The manager and staff are committed to ensuring that any potential concerns about a child's development are identified at the earliest opportunity. They use funding effectively to offer a variety of well-targeted learning experiences which help to quickly close any gaps in children's development.

Staff work well with other professionals to help children to reach their full potential. For example, they carefully manage the transitions to school for individual children and share specific and relevant information with teaching staff.Overall, staff work together to successfully plan activities that build on children's interests and capture their imaginations.

All staff understand the learning intentions planned for each activity and deliver these effectively. However, not all staff consistently plan purposeful, sharply focused activities that directly promote children's individual next steps in their learning.During some adult-led activities, children sit together as a whole group.

Older children are fully engaged while challenged to name the days of the week and to think about and describe what the weather is like. Older children remain interested throughout the session and participate enthusiastically. However, some of the younger and less-confident children are less engaged, even though they are happy to sit in the large group.

Staff show children that their views and opinions are valued. They give children opportunities to make decisions as individuals and as a group. For example, at story time, every child is asked to vote for the story they would like to be read.

They also have a song board where they can pick out the card which shows the song they would like to sing. This helps to promote children's personal and social skills, as well as learning to respect the decisions made by their friends.Staff understand the importance of building children's communication and language skills.

They talk to children during activities, sing rhymes with them and engage them in action songs. Staff provide a wealth of opportunities for writing and mark making. They support children in developing their physical skills in both large and small movements.

This helps children to develop their writing skills, for example when recording their name of their artwork or writing a shopping list. Children show a love of books, which they access independently.Parents' feedback about the service they receive and the progress that their children make is extremely positive.

They greatly appreciate the help they received from staff when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the setting to close. Staff speak to each parent as they drop off and collect their child. They share useful information with them about the activities that children have enjoyed and the progress that children are making.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff know and understand their safeguarding responsibilities. There are robust recruitment procedures in place to ensure the suitability of staff working with children.

All staff regularly access training to update their knowledge of safeguarding and child protection. They know the signs and symptoms that could indicate a child is at risk of abuse and neglect. Staff are vigilant and know how to record and refer their concerns.

Children play in a safe and secure environment. Staff check the play space both inside and outside to ensure all potential hazards are removed.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: refine the way that observations and assessments are used, so that planning for children's next steps is even more precise and helps all children make rapid progress from their starting points nensure that the youngest children benefit just as much as the older, most-able children during whole-group teaching activities.

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