Kangaroo Kids Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a wonderfully warm and caring environment that supports each child and their family. Children are very happy and form strong attachments with their key person. They settle quickly and are very confident to explore and learn.

Staff deploy themselves well and develop daily routines with clear rules and consistent boundaries. They are very positive role models, demonstrating good manners and how to be kind and caring to others. Consequently, children behave well. If a minor conflict occurs, staff consistently help children to understand their feelings and the effect they can have on others. Children play cooperatively. For example, they interact well with their friends and take turns to use a train to make tracks in snowflakes.

Children develop their self-care and independence skills well in readiness for their next stage in education. For example, they wash their hands independently and choose their own fruit at snack time. Younger children learn to use cutlery to feed themselves. Older children learn to cut up their fruit safely and put on their boots and coats before they play outside. Staff make effective use of praise to encourage children to complete tasks as, for example, they help to tidy up and complete the daily register.

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

• The dedicated provider and manager are totally committed to the service they provide for families. They reflect well on all aspects of the pre-school and actively seek the views of staff and children. There are plans to include more feedback opportunities for parents, to enhance the outdoor learning environment and to continue to support staff to gain higher qualifications. This helps the pre-school to evolve and make improvements that benefit children's learning.
• Enthusiastic staff are focused on helping all children to develop their communication skills. Babies and toddlers join in with spontaneous action songs and a variety of stories with props to help to develop new words. Older children confidently talk about their activities and ideas to friends and adults. For instance, staff praise younger children at the Christmas craft table for their ideas.
• Staff are experienced and rapidly identify when children may need additional support. They work closely with parents and other agencies to put in place interventions, funding and support to help children to make progress. This means that all children access the support they need to make the best start in life.
• Staff are very aware of the need to support parents, particularly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent issues. Parents can access a wealth of guidance and support. For example, the nursery offers a lending library and healthy cooking packs. Parents are very appreciative of the work the 'amazing staff do to support their children'. However, staff do not consistently share changes to children's next steps in learning and how parents can assist their children at home. This does not help parents to understand the positive impact that their continued interaction has on children's learning.
• All children have plenty of opportunities to play outdoors. They follow instructions, behave well and develop their physical skills. Staff encourage younger children to climb, jump and enjoy time in the fresh air. Older children make up running games together and learn that their bodies require hydration after exercise. Staff support children of all ages to understand the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
• The provider, manager and staff work closely with other professionals. For example, they work with local schools to support children's seamless and confident transition to school.
• The manager has high expectations for children in the pre-school. Overall, she plans a well-balanced curriculum that builds on what children already know and can do in a sequential way. However, in their enthusiasm, staff occasionally do not consistently help children to practise the agreed steps to learn new skills, such as how to hold a crayon correctly or drink from an open cup. This does not help to maximise children's learning to the highest level.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support parents to be consistently aware of their children's targeted learning plans and how they can be promoted at home
• ensure that all staff have clear guidance about what they want children to practise and learn throughout all activities and daily routines.