Rks Brightsparks

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and enjoy their time playing at this friendly and caring setting. Staff help children to settle quickly and encourage them to build friendships with others. The setting is based within a community centre and the managers develop close working relationships with the staff.

For example, they utilise an extra room to offer exciting movement and creative sessions for children.Children behave well and have a positive attitude to learning. Staff talk to children about rules and expectations.

They help them to understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, they create an activity to help children prac...tise crossing the road and develop their awareness of road safety. Managers have high expectations for all children.

They are passionate about supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Managers have effective partnerships with a range of professionals to offer targeted care when needed. Staff plan a varied and exciting curriculum that caters for children's individual needs and next steps effectively.

They have started to target weaker areas in groups of children's learning, such as language and communication. Overall, children make good progress and develop key skills for their future learning.

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

Children are active in their play.

They enjoy taking part in activities that help to develop their physical skills, indoors and outdoors. For example, children play parachute games together and concentrate carefully while they thread beads onto laces.Children are motivated to learn and show good curiosity during activities.

Staff model different ideas, such as making a 'cake' from dough. They ask children to count the number of candles and challenge them to think about adding one more. This helps to promote children's mathematical skills well.

Staff regularly monitor the progress that children make. For example, they record observations of their play and identify what they need to learn next. Staff plan activities that follow children's interests, such as creating a 'camping' role-play area to support their learning experiences.

Staff encourage children to develop social skills. For example, they demonstrate how to take turns when playing games. Staff praise children when they are kind and considerate to others.

This helps children to feel confident and develop their self-esteem.Staff support a number of children with SEND. They ensure that children have a focused plan with specific strategies to help them achieve their targets.

Parents are happy with the quality of care and learning provided. They comment that staff are friendly and approachable. Staff keep parents well informed about their child's development.

They talk to parents daily and share observations via an online system.Children benefit from consistent care routines. Staff encourage children to wash their hands thoroughly before eating.

They support children who are toileting effectively. Children enjoy taking responsibility, for example wiping the table and setting out plates at mealtimes. They join in tidying the toys away as staff sing to music and encourage them to help with the 'jobs'.

Staff promote children's independence effectively. For example, they encourage children to pour their own drinks at snack time and practise using their cutlery.Managers meet regularly with staff to discuss their practice.

For example, they have supervision meetings and identify training opportunities to help improve their overall knowledge and skills. However, managers do not monitor staff practice rigorously enough to help ensure that their teaching and interactions are of the highest quality.Staff provide a commentary during children's play and ask questions to help encourage vocabulary and communication.

They have recently started to work with a teacher from the local school who is sharing examples of high-quality letters and sounds sessions. However, the organisation and implementation of these activities do not yet fully maximise opportunities to promote children's listening and speaking skills even further.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff can identify signs and symptoms of possible child abuse and neglect. They show a good awareness of wider safeguarding matters, such as radicalisation and terrorism. Staff understand what action to take and who to contact if they have any concerns about a child's welfare.

They regularly complete safeguarding training to help to keep their knowledge up to date. Staff identify and minimise potential risks to children effetcively in the indoor and outdoor environment.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: monitor staff interactions more robustly to help raise the quality of teaching to the highest level review the organisation of group activities to maximise opportunities to promote children's listening and speaking skills even further.