Sutton St James Playgroup

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children come into the playgroup in the morning excited for their day.

They have good bonds with staff, who greet them with a warm welcome as they arrive. Staff create a calm and nurturing space for children where they joyfully participate in singing sessions with staff. Children show that they feel proud and have a sense of belonging.

For example, staff praise them for their drawings and display these attractively on the artist board for everyone to see. Staff teach children how to stay safe and the potential consequences of their actions. For example, when children do not sit on chairs correctly, staff remind them to... sit down or, they might fall.

Staff create an atmosphere of 'awe and wonder' that in turn contributes to children having a positive attitude to learning. Staff introduce children to ice and salt and encourage them to share the resources. Children show an obvious interest as they explore cause and effect to see what happens when they pour salt onto the ice.

Staff ask children to talk about what they see happening, valuing their opinions and asking children what the ice feels like. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. They are proactive in recognising concerns and supporting these children, creating individualised support plans to help them progress in their development.

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

The acting manager is knowledgeable and committed to providing children and families with the best possible experiences and opportunities. She provides staff with regular supervision meetings to discuss with them how to continually improve their practice. One example of this, staff have identified they have a higher number of children with communication and language delays since the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result, staff have attended training and inputted different strategies, such as focus groups and family picture books, to encourage children's speaking skills.Staff provide children with opportunities to learn through adult direction. Examples of this include a welcome time and making play dough as a group.

However, occasionally, during some group times, staff do not manage to maintain all children's interests. This results in some children becoming distracted and limits their learning experience during this time.Children thoroughly enjoy outdoor play.

Staff sit alongside children as they pour water into the sand and encourage children to notice how this changes the texture. When provided with opportunities, children show a good deal of curiosity and creativity in their play. However, occasionally staff are keen to move children on to the next activity or routine, such as snack time which interrupts the learning that is happening.

Staff prioritise communication and language development in their curriculum.They join in and play alongside the children. Staff listen and respond, modelling language and repeating new words and phrases.

They question children, allowing them time to think and respond to gauge their understanding and to challenge and extend their thinking. For example, when exploring ice, staff praise the children when they use vocabulary, such as 'freezing' and 'melting'.Staff provide activities to help children develop their physical skills.

Children copy staff and have fun listening to instructions, singing and doing exercises as they move their bodies in different ways. They develop their small muscles, as well as hand-eye coordination when they carefully peel off the back of shape stickers and make pictures.Staff reinforce their expectations of children's behaviour, such as being respectful and polite.

For example, when children want to get past a chair they say, 'Excuse me please'. Staff promote children's confidence and self-esteem as they praise them for good manners.Staff support children's health and well-being.

They encourage children to have regular access to the outdoor area to learn in the fresh air. Furthermore, staff encourage good hygiene procedures, such as asking children to wash their hands after coughing into them, to help tackle the spread of infections.The acting manager and staff allocate additional funding thoughtfully to help improve outcomes for children.

For example, children receive personal hygiene packs to help them learn the importance of oral hygiene and keeping themselves clean.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The acting manager and staff have a clear understanding of their role in keeping children safe from harm.

They know how to recognise the signs of abuse and neglect, and the procedure to follow if they are concerned about a child's welfare. Regular safeguarding training ensures staff are fully up-to-date with current practice. Children are supervised well, and staff are appropriately deployed to meet children's individual care and learning needs.

Staff regularly communicate with colleagues if they are leaving the room briefly. Headcounts are carried out to make sure the correct staff-to-child ratio is adhered to when children choose to play inside and outside.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support staff to maintain children's attention during group time activities and avoid them becoming distracted support staff to enable children to fully explore during their play without interruption to their learning.

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