German Kindergarten North Dulwich

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide an extremely welcoming, friendly and nurturing environment for all children. They greet children on their arrival in both German and English, to help value their home languages. Key staff support children who are settling in. They provide lots of cuddles and reassurance to help children to settle, and to promote their emotional well-being. Staff act as good role models. They consistently promote children's positive behaviour, and help children to learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, staff encourage all children to walk safely up and down the stairs. They calmly and sensitively give a five-minute prompt for children to finish what they are doing before they tidy toys away. Children listen to, and keenly follow, instructions. They are fully aware of the routines and know what to expect next. Children show that they feel safe and secure, and behave very well.

Staff implement a curriculum to help promote children's good health and physical exercise. For example, staff plan a wide range of experiences outdoors to develop children's physical skills and emotional health. They plan outings to the local area, such as Community Greenhouses and historic windmills. This also helps to promote children's sense of self within the local community and provide opportunities that children may not have experienced before.

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

• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well by staff. Leaders understand the importance of working in partnership with parents to help ensure that children benefit from targeted support. Children are at the heart of all decisions to ensure that their individual learning needs are always considered and met.
• Children benefit from a variety of planned opportunities to help them make very good progress that they are capable of. For example, staff help children to develop a strong foundation in early mathematics, such as counting beyond 10 in both German and English. Staff support children to act out real-life situations involving money. For example, staff ask 'how much' as children play imaginatively when they pretend to buy play food. However, there are times when staff do not recognise when children become disengaged so that they can support children to consistently focus on their learning.
• Staff promote children's love of books and communication skills to a good level. For example, staff are energetic and enthusiastic storytellers. Children giggle and laugh as they listen intently to a story read by staff dressed as a fairy. Staff speak to children in both German and English and read dual-language stories. Children are confident communicators in both English and German.
• Children are busy and eager learners, and they show pride in their achievements. For example, they enthusiastically say, 'Yes, I did it,' as they skilfully jump from one stepping stone to another. This also helps to develop children's balance, coordination, and to challenge their physical abilities.
• Overall, staff support children to be independent with their self-help skills. For example, staff encourage children to put on their shoes before they go outdoors, use the toilet and wash their hands independently. However, staff do not always support older children to develop their self-help skills to help prepare them for their eventual move on to school. For example, during mealtimes, staff serve meals, pour drinks and provide baby weaning bibs for some of the older children.
• Leaders provide staff with many opportunities to support their continuous professional development to help enhance their good teaching skills. Staff report high levels of support from leaders, and say that their emotional well-being is always considered. Consequently, staff retention levels and their well-being are good.
• Leaders understand the importance of building positive relationships with parents and children before children start at the kindergarten. For example, staff provide home visits for all children during settling-in sessions. They find out key information from parents to help children settle quickly when they first start, and to promote a consistent approach.
• Overall, the manager's curriculum intent is implemented well by the skilled and dedicated staff team. They plan many exciting opportunities and experiences to meet all children's individual learning needs and, overall, to give children the knowledge and skills they require before they move on to school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's teaching skills further so that they can easily recognise when children become disengaged to help capture and maintain children's focus on learning
• help older children to develop their self-help skills and independence even further, particularly during mealtimes.