Early Years @ Highfield Daycare

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children exhibit high levels of well-being and security in this welcoming setting.

They engage in very warm, respectful interactions with attentive staff. Children learn to foster a love of reading and enjoy opportunities for cosy moments to share books with staff. They recall words and phrases from popular stories.

Staff are excellent role models. They give children important messages that reinforce and encourage positive behaviour. Staff sensitively encourage children to talk about and manage their own feelings.

They support children to relate to others and continually provide them with meaningful pra...ise.Children flourish and thrive in the thoughtfully planned inspiring environment. They have a rich set of experiences and are curious to investigate.

Children are highly motivated to learn new things and confidently talk about what they know. For instance, as children wait patiently for their turn to try food at the 'space café', they discuss 'the bubbles' that astronaut Tim Peek has, while in space. Children are eager to explore play dough and use scissors to cut lengths of spaghetti.

The two-year-olds are as involved in their learning as older children and engage for significant lengths of time, for instance as they chop real potatoes. Staff are close by to encourage children and offer excellent support, when needed.

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

The managers are passionate about the setting.

They have very high expectations and work tirelessly to ensure children have the very best experiences. Staff plan the environment to inspire children to learn. They provide children with an extensive range of stimulating and varied activities, often linked to a storybook.

Staff respect children as unique individuals. They know the children exceptionally well and are constantly meeting their needs. Staff encourage children to have a voice in the setting.

They listen to what they have to say and use their knowledge of children's interests when planning the environment.The managers have a highly successful drive for continued improvement. They reflect on all aspects of the provision, and the setting is constantly evolving.

The managers support and monitor staff's practice to ensure that they maintain their current high level of teaching. All staff regularly reflect on their own, and each other's, practice to help them to continually improve outcomes for children.Staff incorporate early reading and writing skills, and mathematical language and counting, at every opportunity.

Children concentrate and demonstrate resilience as they keep on trying. They beam with pride as staff acknowledge their achievements. All children make substantial and sustained progress throughout their time at the setting.

They rapidly gain the skills they need for the next stage in their learning.Partnerships with parents are exceptional. Parents offer the highest praise for the setting.

They comment on how much their children have progressed since attending and the excellent support they get from staff who 'go above and beyond' to help.Staff's development and ongoing training are high priorities. Less-qualified staff are mentored to gain relevant childcare qualifications.

Staff feel valued and listened to. They comment that they thoroughly enjoy working in the setting and have high regard and respect for each other.Children enjoy being active.

They happily join in with popular action songs. Outdoors, children eagerly take part in activities, such as washing cars at the 'car wash'. They use magnets to hunt for metal objects, dig in the large sandpit and carefully manoeuvre around objects as they use ride-on-toys.

Staff are vigilant and ensure children always remain safe.Children eat healthy and nutritious meals and snacks in a relaxed and social atmosphere. Staff manage children's allergies or medical needs extremely well.

Children take age-appropriate risks and are made fully aware of safety.Staff work extremely closely with the on-site children's centre and nursery, regularly sharing resources. They swiftly identify when they think a child may need additional help to make the highest possible progress in their learning.

Staff instigate excellent partnership working with other agencies to help secure timely and pertinent support for children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Safeguarding is given unquestionable priority.

The management team implements thorough procedures to ensure the safe recruitment and ongoing suitability of staff. All staff fully understand their role to protect children from harm. They regularly attend training and have a very secure knowledge of safeguarding, including wider child protection issues.

Staff keep robust records and know exactly what action they must take if they are concerned about the welfare of a child. The managers ensure that staff keep their knowledge up to date. There is a strong focus on supporting children and families to learn more about keeping safe online.

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