East Bergholt Young Explorers

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive happy and eager to go into the nursery. They are greeted by their key person at the door, which helps them to feel confident and reassured. Children have very good relationships with each other and staff.

Younger children play happily alongside their peers, while pre-school-age children use their good imaginative skills to recreate and role play experiences from home with their friends.Children develop good independence skills from an early age. Staff encourage toddlers to find their coats and shoes, while pre-school children queue up to receive their lunch and take their plates back to the table to eat.
.../>The children and staff all join together at lunchtime. This provides opportunities for younger children to see their older siblings.Pre-school-age children enjoy making salt dough Christmas tree decorations.

They roll out the dough and use cutters to create stars. Children have good speaking and listening skills. They talk to staff about Christmas preparations at home and what they would like Father Christmas to bring them.

Toddlers use their developing speech to indicate to staff what they want. Staff repeat words back to them so that they can hear the correct pronunciation. Babies babble away to staff, who speak to them to help encourage early conversations.

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

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported. Staff regularly meet with parents and other professionals and attend specialist centres to find out how best to meet children's individual needs. This helps them to provide tailored support for each child.

Staff observe children to find out what they know and can do to support their learning and development. Consequently, children with SEND make good progress in relation to their individual starting points and abilities.The educational programmes are ambitious and provide children with a wide range of activities that cover all areas of learning.

However, staff sometimes forget to adapt activities to enable all children to take part. For example, staff introduce an activity relating to the sounds that letters make, which is too advanced for the age and stage of some children taking part. In the baby room, they are keen to explore shaving foam, but, to keep them safe, staff remind them not put the foam in their mouths.

This means that babies are unable to follow through their own inquisitive nature.Partnerships with parents are very positive. Parents comment on how happy they are with their children's care and progress at the pre-school.

They appreciate the daily feedback they receive when they collect their children.Parents comment that they fully understand that during the COVID-19 pandemic they are unable to go inside the nursery. Parents share that they appreciated the support from staff and the manager while the nursery was closed.

The manager uses additional funding effectively to provide children with focused support that meets their care and learning needs. For example, staff use resources that encourage children to use their senses in response to light and sound.Children make good progress in their learning and development.

Staff regularly observe children and record their achievements. This helps them to plan for what children need to learn next.Staff provide children with lots of opportunities to develop new skills and consolidate existing ones.

Toddlers enjoy messy play based on a familiar book about a stick man.The manager places a high priority on staff's welfare. Regular supervisions help to provide staff with opportunities to discuss their professional development and any concerns they may have.

The manager constantly strives to drive practice forward and take a flexible approach to accommodating staff's family commitments. This helps to support their welfare and well-being.Staff working with the pre-school children use a range of different activities to help children learn how to take responsibility for their own behaviour.

For example, picture cards depicting acts of kindness or when someone is being unkind, encourage children to think about how they would feel in those situations. This helps them to consider the effect that their actions may have on others.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have a good understanding of child protection and how to safeguard children. They discuss the latest guidance, which helps to keep them aware of the possible signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of harm or abuse. Staff know what to do in the event of any concern and understand their responsibilities to monitor children's attendance, to help keep them safe.

Risk assessments are adapted as and when required, with appropriate safety measures being implemented when new hazards are identified. Staff teach children how to stay safe when they use the large outside play equipment or when they are on walks.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: provide coaching and support for staff to help them plan activities that take account of children's age and ability in order to build on their next steps in learning.

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