Milford Early Years Centre

Milford Early Years Centre

Unique reference number (URN): 2784515 Address: The Old Bank House, 5 High Street, Milford On Sea, Lymington, SO41 0QF Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises Registered with Ofsted: 30/04/2024 Registers: EYR, CCR Registered person: Milford Early Years Centre Ltd

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff build trusting relationships with children. This supports excellent behaviour during important transitions and routines. For example, staff clearly communicate their expectations about behaviour on trips out. Staff use a combination of rhyme, song and hand gesture to let children know what they need to do and where they need to be. All children show they can follow instructions to keep themselves safe, for example as they walk sensibly with staff along the side of small village roads.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

There is a high level of staff support during transition times. As younger children put on coats and shoes, staff follow the curiosity of older children who are interested in the resources around them. Staff teach children how to ask for help while fostering their independence. When young children put their shoes on the wrong feet, staff take the time to guide children to correct their mistake without swapping shoes for them. This builds children's confidence in important self-help skills.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Staff promote extremely positive attitudes to learning. For example, children learn to develop a 'can-do' attitude through their high-quality interactions with encouraging staff. This helps children to develop confidence and high levels of self-esteem.

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Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Strong standard

Leaders are committed to ensuring the consistent attendance of children and use effective monitoring procedures to address any concerns.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff encourage children to take plenty of exercise. Leaders take full advantage of the local countryside and ensure that daily trips provide children with opportunities to be physically active and engrossed in nature.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff prioritise children's welfare when outside. Staff conduct rigorous risk assessments and follow strict protocols to ensure that children stay safe outside. For example, leaders skilfully deploy staff on outings so that children are well supervised. Communication between staff on trips is superb and ensures that everyone is clear about their roles and how they can best support children. Staff sing memorable songs with children about road safety as they walk.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff have an excellent understanding of the personal needs of children. Leaders ensure that parents and staff share detailed information about children's allergies or food intolerances. Staff have a clear understanding of the impact of children's medical conditions. They know what to do should children become unwell.

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Children's welfare and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff promote healthy eating well. They talk to children about the 'yummy' green vegetables on their plate. Leaders arrange for specialists to teach children about healthy lifestyles and the importance of oral hygiene. This has helped children to talk more confidently about their visits to the dentist.

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Achievement Expected standard

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), get better at understanding and regulating their emotions because of highly effective staff support. Babies grow in confidence with their use of spoons to feed themselves. Toddlers develop their fine motor skills when using a variety of tools, such as tweezers, expertly modelled by staff. Children listen intently to stories. Staff support children to clap out the syllables of tricky words, such as 'anemone', which they later pronounce correctly in context. Children with SEND take delight in talking to new people about what is important to them. Pre-school children develop the skills they need for a secure start in school. Toddlers and older children show perseverance in their learning, taking care and attention to paint and thread. Children are proud of their achievements and bring their work immediately to adults

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have devised a well-sequenced curriculum that focuses on developing children's curiosity, confidence and independence. Staff ensure that babies are safe and settled, which helps to improve outcomes for their social and emotional development. They use facial expression, encourage words and use sensory resources well to stimulate connection with very young children. Staff support children's growing independence well. For example, staff understand the importance of helping very young children learn to walk and the skills important for older children to successfully start school.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff provide high-quality interactions for children that help to strengthen their communication skills. Staff take frequent opportunities to teach new language, for example using new words such as 'rapid' alongside the word 'quick'. This promotes children's widening vocabulary. Staff also support children's critical thinking skills well. When children notice construction work on a local church roof, staff extend children's curiosity by helping them to make links between the high visibility vests they wear and those worn by the construction workers.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff explicitly teach mathematics. For example, they support children to count objects and use the language of 'full' and 'empty' in context when using watering cans. However, at times, most-able children are not challenged to extend their knowledge of number, for example by counting on past a given number that they know.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff swiftly identify children who need extra support, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff seek advice from professionals and make referrals to specialist teams. These timely interventions support children with their confidence, speech and ability to manage their emotions. Leaders use the government's early years pupil premium funding well to extend the interests of children, for example by improving access to specialist football sessions. Children in receipt of this funding have embraced these sessions, which have fostered their confidence and developed their physical skills.

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Inclusion Expected standard

There is an effective key-person system in place. Staff know the specific needs of individual children well and have a good understanding of their lives and experiences at home. This allows staff to help children transfer new skills between home and the pre-school.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have high expectations for all children, including those with SEND. Staff work with families to support the language of children who speak English as an additional language. For example, leaders share lists of everyday words in both English and the home languages of children. However, on occasion, staff do not identify further opportunities to teach English for children who speak English as an additional language in literacy activities, for example by discussing the meaning of words when linking letters to objects.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders build important relationships with parents. This helps parents communicate any changes to routine or ask for support with their children's learning. Parents praise staff for their clear communication. Parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are extremely positive about the support for their children. For example, parents feel their children do very well as a result of effective transition arrangements.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders work well to foster connections in the local community. They arrange for special teaching visits from the police and yoga sessions on the beach, and have permission to tend to plants in the local meadow. People in local businesses wave to staff and children as they walk past. There is a real sense of community in the lives of the children at this setting.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff wellbeing is high. There are frequent opportunities for career development. For example, staff are able to attend courses of interest to further develop their skills. In addition, leaders communicate regularly with their team to celebrate achievements and create development plans that strengthen staff's practice.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders prioritise a continuous strive for improvement. Where areas for development have been identified, leaders are swift to take action. For example, following recent input from the early years advisory team, leaders have created accessible photos of resources so that babies can better communicate their choices. Leaders reflect well on their practice and use this analysis to continually improve outcomes for children.

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Compulsory Childcare Register requirements

This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.

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Register

When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can have the following outcomes:

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children who are new to the setting establish themselves quickly. Committed leaders make good use of settling-in sessions to get to know children. Staff are responsive to children's needs, for example by making changes to the environment to ensure that babies new to the setting feel comfortable. This helps strengthens the confidence of children new to the setting.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Older children build confidence when talking to their friends. Staff help children share their experiences with other children during morning group sessions. A high level of support from nurturing adults helps children to form strong bonds of trust with their key person.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children enjoy showing others what they have done. Staff share children's achievements and help children to feel good about their developing skills. For example, when staff praise children's artwork, children love the feedback they receive. This grows children's self-esteem and encourages them to try their very best. As a result, children eagerly show their paintings to others and say they want to take them home.

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What it's like to be a child at this setting

Children enjoy trips outside. Staff organise daily visits around the local village and to nearby parks and beaches. Children relish their time outside, laughing as they run, climb, dance and play. For example, staff take children regularly to a local meadow to paint and read stories together. Children thrive during these outdoor experiences. Staff extend children's curiosity and use the environment to develop children's vocabulary, for example by investigating the plants that grow around.

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Address:

The Old Bank House, 5 High Street, Milford On Sea Lymington SO41 0QF

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Address:

Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Address:

Registered person: Milford Early Years Centre Ltd Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) show high levels of confidence as a result of knowledgeable staff. For example, children with SEND talk to new people about what helps them learn. Staff think carefully about the likes and interests of their key children. This helps them to support children to remain calm during moments of transition.

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Next steps

Leaders should make sure that teaching is consistently inclusive of children who speak English as an additional language. Leaders should make sure to extend the learning of mathematics for most-able children to strengthen the consistency of the high-quality curriculum further.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with leaders and staff and received feedback from parents during the inspection.

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About this inspection

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage. Register(s): EYR, CCR

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About this inspection

Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00,Saturday : 08:00 - 18:00

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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