Kingwood Children @ Muddifords Court

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children benefit from a well-planned curriculum of activities to support their interests and developmental needs. This includes a wealth of outdoor learning opportunities. For example, older children learn to make campfires, on which they cook, and younger children go for scavenger hunts to find and learn about natural resources.

They learn to respect the environment and natural life, such as helping with responsible jobs to care for the animals and tend to the plants. Babies benefit from a very calm and nurturing environment in which they settle well and form close bonds with staff. Toddlers and pre-school children enjoy excit...ing and changing play areas to stimulate their interest.

Children behave very well. They demonstrate positive attitudes, share, listen well and help others. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and help them to learn the importance of respect, one of their core values, to help children become kind and responsible young people.

Children choose and explore freely to lead their own play in safe spaces. They are interested and motivated learners who are keen to join in the activities. For example, younger children use their senses to identify smells and sounds on walks.

Older children explore textures in painting experiments to find out how and why things feel different.

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

The quality of teaching is good. Staff know the children well and are clear what they intend them to learn next.

Most staff challenge children well to help them learn new skills and to build on their learning. However, on occasions, some staff miss opportunities to build further on older children's learning when they find questions and challenges easy.Staff plan targeted activities to help children achieve their next steps for learning and develop spontaneous learning experiences from children's ideas.

For example, a member of staff helps children playing in a puddle of water to make little boats from reeds and leaves. He extends this to explore floating and sinking concepts. This helps to keep the children engaged, interested and learning.

Staff help children to learn new words regularly. Staff working with babies encourage their communications as they babble, and older children enjoy joining in discussions and answering questions. However, staff do not always allow children time in some group activities to think and answer questions to support their thinking and communication even further.

Staff help children to develop very healthy lifestyles. Children enjoy nutritious meals cooked on the premises, which they eat together at sociable mealtimes. They learn the importance of good handwashing routines and children of all ages enjoy lots of physical play to build their strength and health.

Children use their imaginations well, throughout the setting. For example, babies explore different sensory objects. Toddlers and older children make 'potions' from different materials, create their own imaginative games and use large construction equipment to build.

Staff provide resources to spark children's interest and imaginations, such as on the 'tinker table', 'creation station' or in the changing role-play areas.Staff help children to develop the skills they need for starting school. Children learn to become confident and very independent, motivated to learn and able to recognise their names.

Children of all ages enjoy story books as well as using books to source facts, such as identifying nature life.Staff form strong working partnerships with parents to meet children's needs consistently and involve parents in their children's learning journeys. Parents provide very positive feedback.

They state how well staff support the children with changes in their lives, including when they move into new playrooms and when they start school. Staff value children as individuals and help them to become confident and independent.The strong management team works effectively with staff to develop a clear vision for the setting and to drive on-going improvements.

The team values and nurtures staff well-being and acknowledges when staff are under stressful situations. Staff benefit from development opportunities to increase their knowledge and skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff all have a good understanding of child protection issues and the correct procedures to follow in the event of any concerns about a child's welfare. The management team follows safer recruitment procedures and provides a comprehensive induction package to help ensure that all staff working with children are suitable. Staff use risk assessments and follow the safety procedures to help ensure that they maintain safe environments and outings for children.

This includes maintaining a secure premises. Children learn to manage safe play to help them protect themselves from harm.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop staff interactions to provide older children with more challenges to help them make even better progress in their learning nallow children more time to think and respond to questions to strengthen their thinking and communication skills even further.