Kingdom Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children respond well to the warm, caring interaction of staff and spend their time happily learning through play. All children make good progress in their physical development. Babies confidently explore their newly refurbished room. They make full use of the large expanses of clear floor space to develop their mobility, enthusiastically encouraged and supported by staff. Older children move with control and coordination as they run, climb, balance and steer bikes. All children benefit from a broad selection of resources, indoors and outside, that offer a good level of physical challenge.

Throughout the setting children rapidly develop their language and communication. The youngest children hear a lot of clearly pronounced words as staff name familiar objects and describe what is happening. This helps them to understand the meaning of words. Staff also make effective use of sign language. Older children take part in lively conversations and are confident to share their views. For example, they explain eloquently that they enjoy using the construction materials and they are very good at chasing each other on bikes.

Children behave very well and develop good social skills. Young children learn to manage their emotions, share and take turns. Older children form wonderful friendships. They play cooperatively and learn to consider the feelings of others.

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

• The provider has a very clear aim for all children to receive the nurturing care and teaching they need to become caring, compassionate individuals who are equipped for life in modern Britain. The manager very effectively translates this into an exciting curriculum that offers a good level of challenge. She is currently working to embed this across the whole provision. Staff are highly motivated and feel well supported by managers. Their strong teamwork significantly contributes to the success achieved to date.
• Communication between staff is a strength in most regards. They develop a secure understanding of the personalities, needs and backgrounds of each child in their care. Staff within each room constantly and efficiently share relevant information as they work together. However, specific details, such as the languages children hear at home, are not always passed to colleagues in the rooms children move onto. This does not support staff to target their interactions with children as effectively as possible from the outset.
• Children benefit from very inviting and comfortable learning environments, indoors and out. The forest school provision is extremely popular with older children and very effectively captures their interest in the natural world. They confidently explain the wildlife they have seen and speak very knowledgeably about how things grow. The staff who support these activities are highly skilled at encouraging children to solve problems and to learn to assess and manage risks. For example, children used knowledge they had developed over time to decide to build their camp against a tree for stability when their first attempt collapsed.
• Although teaching is strong overall, there are some slight inconsistencies in the organisation and implementation of activities across the setting. For example, babies become slightly unsettled as they wait longer than is ideal for their lunches to be served. In addition, staff do not all recognise when older children would benefit from more direction to master new skills, such as using scissors. Individually small issues such as these combine to detract from the completely successful implementation of the ambitious curriculum.
• Staff place a strong focus on promoting children's good health. In addition to regular outdoor play and physical exercise, children benefit from nutritious snacks and meals. These are prepared on site and reflect each child's individual dietary needs. Children have constant access to water throughout the day. Staff follow hygienic procedures to change nappies and older children learn to be independent in their toileting.
• Partnerships with parents are effective. They give very positive feedback about the quality of the provision. They report that their children enjoy attending and progress well. Staff also maintain good working relationships with other relevant professionals to, for example, support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps to ensure that all children receive care that is coordinated and targeted to meet their individual needs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the monitoring and support of staff to identify and address any inconsistencies in the organisation and implementation of activities more precisely
• strengthen the arrangements to share information between staff when children transition into new rooms