Embrace Childcare, Marsland Road

Friendships, imaginative outdoor play and conversations about feelings give Embrace Childcare, Marsland Road its character in the September 2023 account of daily life. Children danced together, collected natural materials for pretend cooking and used pictures to express their emotions. These are concrete examples of learning through relationships and play.

Ofsted rated the setting Good on 6 September 2023. Based at 14th Sale Scouts in Sale, it has capacity for 47 children aged two to five.

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care, bringing play and everyday routines into their education.

In September 2023, songs, stories and conversation gave children opportunities to practise language. Staff explained unfamiliar words, while children repeated phrases from books and applied ideas about shapes to painting. Learning moved between activities rather than staying within one task.

Outdoor experiences included climbing, swinging and gathering sticks and leaves for imaginative play. Nature walks and theatre outings extended children's experiences beyond the setting. These examples belong to September 2023.

Planning needed greater precision at that time: staff did not consistently identify what each child should learn next. That matters because an appealing activity also needs a clear purpose for the child taking part.

At the September 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective, children's progress good and support responsive to individual needs, including special educational needs and disabilities.

In September 2023, staff worked with families, specialist professionals and other settings that children attended. They discussed how additional funding could support individual children. Communication between settings helped connect different parts of a child's care.

Emotional support was practical at that time: pictures helped children describe feelings, and staff comforted those who became upset. Families received detailed feedback and ideas for continuing learning at home. Handwashing before eating and active outdoor play also formed part of the day.

The address is 14th Sale Scouts, 102b Marsland Road, Sale, M33 3NN. Opening hours are 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, across the year, with closures for bank holidays and two weeks at Christmas.

In September 2023, preschool sessions ran from 9am to 3pm; out-of-school care operated from 7.30am to 9am and from 3pm to 5.30pm. At that time, the setting provided funded early education for children aged two, three and four. These attendance and funding details describe the inspection period.

• Purposeful learning. September 2023 planning sometimes lacked precision about children's next steps. On a visit, ask how staff choose activities around an individual child's learning needs.
• Lunchtime and changes of activity. In September 2023, some children became distracted during these parts of the day. Ask how routines now keep children involved.
• Attendance arrangements. The September 2023 model combined preschool sessions with out-of-school care. Which current booking pattern would accommodate your child's age and your working hours?

Embrace merits consideration for families who value conversation, friendships and outdoor activity. Its September 2023 offer served both preschool-session and out-of-school-care needs. The strongest inspection examples concern children's everyday experiences; the practical questions are how precisely learning is planned and how smoothly lunchtime and changes of activity work.