Inquisitive Minds Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are content and happy at this welcoming setting. They feel safe and develop a strong sense of belonging as staff get to know children and their families well. Staff implement a curriculum that considers the needs and diverse backgrounds of all children. Staff use words from children's home language. For example, they greet them in Hindi. Children behave well. The youngest children show well-developed social skills and happily share toys with each other. Staff ensure that children are suitably challenged, particularly those who are older and most able. Children enjoy science experiments to promote their thinking skills.

Staff are committed to making a positive difference in children's lives. All children make good progress, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those in receipt of additional funding. Staff work closely with parents and use advice from other professionals to develop individual learning plans for children. Staff provide one-to-one support so that children can learn at a pace that is suitable for them. This helps children to achieve the best possible outcomes. The manager uses extra funding to enrich children's experiences and enhance their skills. She arranges weekly clubs, including woodwork and sports. Staff teach children how to keep themselves safe and healthy. Children learn about the setting's 'golden rules', such as walking inside, and staff encourage them to adopt healthy diets.

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

• The manager has a clear and strong vision for children's early education. She collaborates with her staff team to ensure that the curriculum aligns with the needs and interests of the children. The manager meets with staff regularly, both one to one and as a team, to discuss their professional development. The manager carries out her own independent research and uses this to inform practice. Staff have opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge through regular training. The manager promotes staff well-being. She understands the importance of this in promoting a high-quality learning environment for children.
• Staff offer a curriculum that successfully incorporates all areas of learning and supports children to build on what they already know and can do. Staff teach children valuable independence skills from a young age. This includes serving themselves food and putting on their coats. Staff encourage children to problem-solve. They learn about balancing as they build with bricks. Children develop their hand muscles as they squeeze sponges and pipettes. This helps to prepare them for early writing. Children successfully gain the foundations needed for future learning, including starting school.
• Staff help children to develop good communication and language skills. They narrate and model new words alongside children's play, to build their vocabulary.
• Staff ask open-ended questions to provoke conversation, so that children can practise their communication skills. Staff use sign language and visual timetables to help children to understand and follow routines. However, at times, staff do not use these consistently to support all children, particularly those with SEND. This impacts on children's participation and learning during key times, such as lunchtime.
• Staff teach children about the diverse world around them and value children's different backgrounds. For instance, they explore foods from their culture, and the cook freshly prepares these meals on site for all children to try. Children learn to speak other languages, such as French and Spanish. This helps children to learn about what makes them unique and develops their awareness of cultures other than their own.
• Staff promote children's understanding of healthy lifestyles well. They provide nutritious meals and snacks, such as passion fruit and mango. Children learn where food comes from as they grow herbs to use in cooking activities. Staff support children's oral hygiene. They arrange for a dentist to visit to talk to children about the importance of regular teeth brushing.
• Partnerships with parents and other professionals are a strength of the setting. Staff communicate well with parents and use methods to overcome any language barriers. They regularly invite parents in for stay-and-play sessions with their children. Parents value these and say that they learn lots from staff about early education. They report that staff have helped them to learn to communicate better with their children. Parents commend the staff and describe them as 'incredible people'.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consistently use the available visual aids to help children to understand and follow routines, particularly those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to maximise their participation and learning.