Knowle West Children’s Centre

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Leaders strive to bring young children and their families together through shared learning experiences.

They ensure parents receive relevant information to help extend their children's learning at home. For example, staff are currently working with parents to help promote children's early language development at home through local projects such as 'Let's Get Knowle West Talking'. Leaders and staff create a community feel for all their service users.

They value the importance of building inclusive and respectful relationships with families from the outset. Upon entering the building, there is a noticeable art display of... tapestries created by multi-generations to illustrate the local areas. This is something which leaders consider as a celebration of the community.

Parents are complimentary about the warmth and kindness both they and their children receive from the attentive and caring staff team. Staff ensure babies and young children settle in with ease and become familiar with their surroundings. For instance, staff conduct home visits before children start and provide flexible settling-in arrangements.

Staff use these opportunities well to talk to parents about children's individual requirements, such as personal care routines, comfort objects and food preferences. They produce personalised care plans using this information to help babies and young children feel comfortable from the start. All children develop a secure bond and attachment with staff.

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

Staff undertake ongoing assessments of babies and young children at various points while they attend the centre, including at entry level, midpoint and before children leave. Staff make good use of their ongoing assessments to celebrate children's achievements as well as to address any gaps in learning. They meet regularly as a team to share information about their key children and to discuss future learning plans.

All children make good progress from their initial starting points.Babies enjoy looking at simple picture books, and staff use expressive language and gestures well to help sustain their interest. Staff are attuned to babies' emotional needs.

They gently rock babies to soothe them and ensure they have a favourite comfort item nearby should they become distressed.There are ample opportunities for babies and young children to actively use their senses to play, create and investigate. For example, during the inspection, young children enjoyed using their sense of smell and touch to explore the coconut-flavoured play dough.

Children demonstrate good large-muscle skills. They learn to safely transport water in containers from inside before pouring it out to create puddles outdoors to splash in. Babies have opportunities to practise their early movement skills, such as crawling and pushing up against furniture to stand.

In general, staff communicate well with babies and young children to help them understand everyday expectations, such as regular handwashing before and after mealtimes. However, at times, staff do not consider alternative ways to help young children, particularly those who have speech and language difficulties, to understand and follow instructions clearly.Leaders ensure staff have ongoing opportunities for professional development.

They encourage staff to work collectively on research projects to help improve the quality of teaching and care. Staff receive regular one-to-one support from leaders where they have opportunities to discuss any issues or concerns. Staff show a commitment to improve their teaching practice.

For example, they willingly attend meetings outside of work to share up-to-date research with other professionals and to help raise the profile of working with babies.Leaders are ambitious and have high expectations. They have a detailed and clear improvement plan for the centre and encourage staff to play an active role in its implementation.

Leaders provide staff with individual targets to help improve their performance. The headteacher recognises this is a new staff team and is passionate in ensuring that staff receive ongoing support, such as to build their confidence even further. Overall, team morale is positive.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.All staff demonstrate a secure understanding of their role to keep children safe from harm. They are aware of the possible signs that may indicate that a child is at risk of abuse or neglect.

All staff are familiar with the centre's safeguarding policy, including the procedures they need to follow to report a concern about a child's welfare. Staff attend ongoing safeguarding training to refresh their knowledge and to keep up to date with any relevant changes to legislation.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff further in ensuring they make full use of available resources to help young children who have speech and language difficulties to understand and follow instructions.

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