Jack in the Box at Rickmansworth

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very happy at this unique and exquisite setting. They separate very well from their parents and quickly become engrossed in meaningful and stimulating activities. Staff and leaders create a very dynamic environment while carefully considering children's needs, abilities, background and interests. They continuously encourage children to make informed decisions about what they would like to do and explore next, guiding and supporting them with kindness and empathy.

Staff and leaders are incredibly warm and nurturing and have very high expectations of children. In return, children behave exceptionally well and confidently understand the setting's routines and boundaries. For example, when children hear the tambourine, they promptly help with the tidy-up duties while singing along to a specific song. In addition, at snack time, staff encourage children to make their own healthy choices and pour their own drink to support their independence. As a result, children feel empowered and have a positive attitude to learning.

Staff value children's achievements and continuously praise them for their efforts. They proudly display children's work around the setting and implement creative systems, such as 'star of the week', to celebrate children's accomplishments. This helps children feel involved and appreciated during their time at this setting, which contributes positively towards developing their emotional resilience.

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

• Leaders have created an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum that provides children with rich experiences to consolidate and develop their knowledge and skills. Staff and leaders have a very clear vision of what they want children to learn. They carefully consider children's next steps and interests when planning a wide array of inspirational activities. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported through well-thought-out and carefully adapted activities. As a result, they settle quickly and make rapid progress in their learning.
• Staff are exemplary role models to all children. They take the time to get to know all children through detailed and focused meetings with the parents. Staff consistently complete observations, progress assessments and next steps in children's learning that are shared with the parents. They also share home-learning packs with parents to provide a well-rounded approach to learning and ensure continuity of care and education.
• Children benefit from a language-abundant environment. Staff continuously promote new and ambitious words, such as 'squish', 'rolling' and 'sticky', while offering children time to process, understand and securely embed the new vocabulary. This promotes communication and language to very high levels.
• Staff create fantastic opportunities for children to develop their role-play and fine motor skills. Children carefully listen to staff's instructions to mould the play dough in their hands and use various cutters to create new structures. They then enhance their creations with toy ducks and natural resources. Supportive staff prompt children to count in sequence to check how many ducks they can add to their play. This further develops children's numeracy skills and problem-solving skills. Staff also encourage children to explore books with ducks to consolidate their learning and promote effective early reading skills. Children smile with enthusiasm when they look through the windows to spot birds in the sky.
• Staff create meaningful opportunities for children to stay healthy and embrace a healthy lifestyle. In the garden, children giggle with joy when jumping on the trampoline or operating the swing, while they follow the rules with confidence. This supports children's balance and coordination. Children are also fascinated to investigate how balls move through pipes to reach a large ball pit, further developing their critical thinking and cognitive development. Children count the balls and successfully identify the colour with support from knowledgeable staff, enhancing their mathematical skills.
• Leadership is inspirational. They create a supportive and positive culture across the setting, placing a high emphasis on staff's well-being and their professional development. Leaders are reflective and ambitious and strive to provide children with the best start to their early education. Their clear vision is embraced by all staff with dedication and commitment. Staff benefit from robust and consistent training opportunities and receive focused supervision sessions and appraisals.
• Partnerships with parents are exceptional. They feel included and involved in their children's learning and appreciate the rapid progress their children make. Parents value the effective communication and the approachable and supportive nature of all staff and leaders.