Cece's Rainbow Kids Hermitage Park

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children are confident and very happy during their time in the warm and inviting pre-school. All staff know individual children well and have high expectations of their abilities. Staff successfully implement their curriculum and plan motivating activities that maintain children's interest and enthusiasm to learn. When children engage in water play, staff teach them about mathematical concepts, such as quantities and volumes. Children are excited to use food colouring to change the colour of water and tell their friends, 'Look, the Red Sea'. Staff build on children's play well. For example, children paint and thread pasta onto string to make necklaces. Staff teach them about colour and patterns.

Staff support children to develop good physical skills. This is demonstrated when they confidently and safely use equipment, such as balancing beams. Children care for each other and actively make risk assessments. For example, they kindly tell their friends to be careful as the beam might be slippery because it is wet from the rain. Children learn about the benefits of following good health and hygiene routines. This is evident when children independently use mirrors to wipe their noses. They go on to wash their hands and discuss the importance of washing away any germs.

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

• All staff establish positive relationships with children. This helps children to settle quickly into the pre-school. Children fully understand the routine and make independent choices with confidence. They feel safe and secure, and this helps children have a positive attitude towards their learning.
• All children make good progress. This includes those who speak English as an additional language. Staff support children to fully understand other people's similarities and differences from around the world. For example, children learn to say hello in other languages, such as Italian and Lithuanian. Children experience traditions from other cultures and countries. This includes enjoying a visit from a drumming group from Ghana.
• Overall, staff are positive role models, and children are encouraged to recap their golden rules daily. However, these are not consistently embedded. On occasion, when children are asked to not run or to not take toys from someone, they are not provided with clear explanations by staff to help them fully understand why they are being asked to not do these things. Overall, children are polite and behaviour is good. However, staff do not consistently provide children with opportunities to fully understand the expectations of their behaviour and consequences of their actions.
• Overall, children are confident to communicate. They hear lots of good vocabulary and enjoy stories and singing. However, staff do not make good use out of open-ended questions and answer too quickly for children. They do not give children time to think and say their own ideas more consistently to build on their listening and speaking skills even further.
• The staff establish positive relationships with parents who comment that they are happy with the staff and pre-school. Staff keep parents well informed about their children's day and their next steps in learning. Staff provide children with a good, consistent link between the pre-school and home. For example, they send books home and encourage parents to enjoy reading together with their children.
• The setting closely monitors the quality of care and teaching staff provide. Staff evaluate together as a team. They talk daily about what they feel has gone well and what they could do better. Staff observe each other, and they provide helpful and supportive feedback. They use the feedback to enhance their future plans.
• Staff carry out regular and beneficial training. They have recently learned about the importance of supporting children's mental health and well-being. As a result, staff have implemented activities to help children to express their feelings and manage their emotions with confidence.
• Staff teach children how to remain safe. For example, on their regular trips and outings, they talk about the rules of how to cross the road safely.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• refine the explanations given to children to ensure they fully understand the expectations of their behaviour
• enhance the support for children to develop their already good communication skills even further.