Hedworthfield Community Association

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

This provision meets requirements Children enjoy rich opportunities for outdoor play, fresh air and exercise at this friendly and welcoming setting. They benefit from a wide range of exciting and challenging activities and experiences. Children play with bats, hoops and balls.

They count the laps which they make with scooters as they travel around the large, enclosed garden. Children make play dough and take part in pumpkin carving. They make friendship bracelets and print with vegetables.

Staff support children's growing independence. Children hang up their coats and put away their bags. They choose what fruit they would like to eat and which toys to play... with.

Children benefit from good hygiene routines. They wash their hands before they eat and help to clear their plates when they finish. Staff support children to feel included and have a sense of belonging.

They encourage them to help out with tasks and decisions, such as laying the table and drawing up monthly menus. Children are happy, settled and secure. Staff praise and encourage children, helping to raise their confidence and self-esteem.

They provide gentle reminders for children to share and take turns as they play football together. Staff use a 'Worry Tree' and books to help children to express their feelings or concerns. They praise children when their behaviour towards others is positive.

For instance, staff comment when children are being kind and on their good teamwork.

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

Children enjoy lovely relationships with staff, who are good role models. They teach children manners and how to treat their friends kindly.

Staff are kind, caring and fun. They build close bonds with children, who settle easily and well. Staff plan activities to match children's interests and follow their lead in play.

There is strong support for children's physical development. Children develop their strength as they stretch and climb on outdoor equipment. They balance on top of tyres, and travel carefully along beams and rope bridges.

Children take part in group games using a parachute. They engage well in activities, and are willing to try and persevere. Children develop their coordination as they take part in craft activities, and make marks with pens and chalks.

Children are excited, motivated and enthusiastic about the activities on offer. They learn about the wider world around them. Children take part in activities to mark events, such as Halloween, Chinese New Year and the Queen's Jubilee.

Children learn about nature through planting, digging and exploring with natural materials. They plant flowers in troughs and sunflower seeds in pots. Children take the pots home to watch their flowers grow.

Staff and children examine the roots of plants and discuss together what they are for. Children investigate with natural materials. For example, they make pretend cakes and mud pies in the outdoor kitchen with soil, water and pine cones.

Staff have lovely conversations with children as they sit and eat together at snack time. Children hear lots of language around them. They explore words through singing songs and sharing their favourite stories.

Staff have experience of caring for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They use gestures to help children to communicate. One member of staff has completed training to support children with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.

There are strong partnerships with parents, who praise the setting and staff team. Staff have built relationships with the schools that children attend. This helps to provide consistent support for children throughout their day.

Staff help children to extend and consolidate the learning they do at school. They plan activities that complement children's school projects and themes.The setting's trustees and manager support the staff team well through meetings and opportunities to reflect on their practice.

Staff have good access to continuous professional development and training opportunities.Staff meet weekly to reflect on experiences for children. They talk about what activities went well and what they can do to make experiences for children at the setting even better.

Staff gather verbal feedback from parents and use this information to help plan continuous improvements.The setting's trustees, manager and staff are constantly looking at ways to develop the service they provide. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, they arranged for sinks to be available outside, so that children could still wash their hands independently.

Staff involve children in improvements by asking them what they want, and how best to develop the setting to meet their interests and needs.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager has a robust understanding of her responsibilities in relation to child protection and all aspects of safeguarding.

Staff know what might cause them to have a concern about a child. They know who to contact and the procedure to follow in order to keep children safe. Staff have completed training in safeguarding, fire safety, food hygiene and food allergies.

All staff are trained in first aid. Staff understand how to teach children to keep themselves safe. For example, children learn about fire safety and how to travel safely with staff from school to the setting on foot.