Ducklings Shenley Brook End

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children follow a simple and highly effective curriculum that meets their individual needs extremely well. There is an excellent focus on supporting children's communication and language skills. Children enjoy opportunities to immerse themselves in their learning. When mixing materials together to make dough, they are given freedom to explore using their senses. Children rub flour on their face and head as they enjoy the texture and feel. They talk with animated excitement as they work together and share the resources. They pour and fill containers, observing how the mixture changes, guessing what might happen if they add more oil and water. This feeds into children's strong drive to discover new things. Children move the equipment and resources around the room and into the garden as their interest develops and evolves. There is extensive support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff know children extremely well; their deep understanding of children's individual needs enables them to provide early targeted support. As a result, all children are making swift progress relevant to their individual starting points.

Children arrive at pre-school with confidence. They settle quickly and display high levels of resilience and independence as they play. Children have good relationships with their key person and this helps them to feel secure.

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

• Staff are skilful in engaging children in relaxed and easy conversation as they play. Staff adapt their interactions to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have the right level of questioning and communication to meet their needs. As a result, children are developing into confident individuals who use language to express themselves and their ideas.
• Being healthy and staying active is part of children's everyday activities. Children visit the local park and make good use of the large outdoor space. Visits from dentists help children to learn about looking after their teeth. This is evident in their play as they talk about feeding dolls healthy carrots that they can 'crunch with their tiny teeth'.
• Staff do not consistently teach children about using technology to complement their learning. There are no current plans in place to support young children's online safety and their positive behaviours regarding screen time.
• Children explore activities with enthusiasm and are engaged and excited by their time at the pre-school. They interact well with each other and are learning about how to share and take turns.
• Staff support children's personal, social and emotional development extremely well. Children know about expectations to share and take turns and help each other with activities. There are low noise levels in the pre-school as children are busy and focused on their play and learning. Children behave very well.
• Staff are aware of and celebrate children's uniqueness and individuality. The pre-school is vibrant and diverse. Each child has a family book with photos of their important people. They enjoy looking at these and sharing them with others. This helps children to learn about different people that can make up families.
• On the whole, the daily routine works well and staff are able to manage the change over periods effectively without disrupting children's learning. However, on occasion activities and experiences have to come to an end while children are still enjoying them. Staff do not always give children notice of this impending change, meaning that they react with frustration.
• Partnerships with parents are genuine. Key people form close, professional relationships with parents to help them to get to know children and find out about their family life. This helps them plan highly precise and individualised care for children.
• Staff put extensive measures in place to support families. Children have opportunity to eat their breakfast when they arrive at the setting. Staff are alert to children who may be living in families experiencing financial difficulty and uncertainty. They provide excellent practical support. In turn, this ensures that children are comfortable and ready for their learning.
• The managers work together as an effective and dynamic team who support staff to continually build on their extensive knowledge and skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• increase opportunities for children to learn positive behaviours towards using technology and developing healthy attitudes towards screen time
• help to prepare children better for changes in the daily routine, especially when they are highly engrossed in activities.