Kingsnorth Little Stars

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive and are incredibly happy at this outstanding pre-school. Highly dedicated staff forge extremely strong relationships with children and their families. Children arrive excited and eager to start their day. They are greeted individually by staff who support them to settle quickly. The skilful staff team thoughtfully organise a variety of enriching and engaging activities and play experiences, which support children's interests and curiosity. Staff adapt and personalise every part of children's daily experience to meet their individual needs. Children engage in activities of their own choosing and become immediately engrossed in play from the moment they arrive at the setting.

The provider is passionate about providing an ambitious curriculum for all children. They benefit from a broad and personalised curriculum that is tailored to their individual needs and abilities. The current focus is on children's personal, social, and emotional development, as well as their communication and language skills. All children who attend make rapid progress in their learning and development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive exceptional support. The staff are prompt in identifying and addressing any issues, ensuring that children receive the early intervention they may require as quickly as possible. Children have a passion for learning and are ready to move on to school and the wider world. They are happy, settled and motivated learners.

Children are incredibly accommodating and invite other children into their play. The respectful behaviour modelled by staff is mirrored in children's interactions. Furthermore, staff are consistent with their messages regarding behaviour and their expectations, which children respect. Staff praise children frequently. This celebration of success helps children build a positive attitude to hard work and confidence to have a go.

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

• The provider has very successfully embedded strategies to ensure that staff have detailed knowledge of all the children who attend the pre-school. For example, staff conduct home visits before children start at the setting. This helps them to develop secure partnerships with parents and enables children to become familiar with their key person. Staff regularly ask parents to share relevant information, which staff incorporate in their planning to enrich children's experiences. This enables staff to precisely meet the needs of all children exceptionally well. They use their excellent knowledge of each child to successfully help them reach their next steps in learning.
• The provider is highly reflective of the service that they provide for children and their families. They recognise the importance of supporting staff in their well- being and professional development. This ensures that the quality of experiences for children are of a consistently high standard. Staff have formed a strong, supportive and inspirational team that works together to provide the best possible care and teaching for children. The provider willingly takes on board any feedback and ideas from staff, parents and children. They promptly implement any necessary changes and improvements to ensure that children continue to receive an exceptional education.
• Staff support the physical development of children effectively. They have an abundance of opportunities to develop their physical skills. Children demonstrate excellent fine motor skills in preparation for writing, such as manoeuvring small objects through a maze with magnetic pencils. They display determination and experiment with different pencil grips to achieve the intended result. Outdoors, children display resilience as they master the skills needed to climb up and over playground equipment. Furthermore, they also learn about their community and the broader world during walks to the local church and park. Regular access to outdoor play and the local environment contributes significantly to improving children's overall well-being.
• Staff are conscious of the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children's communication and language skills. They are highly skilled in supporting children's communication and language development. For instance, all staff members consistently use sign language with the children to facilitate communication for everyone. Books and singing are an integral part of the day. Children frequently take books over to staff, who sit with them to read and discuss the story and the characters. Furthermore, staff ask relevant and thought-provoking questions as children play. They often ask children 'why' to gather their understanding of concepts and embed children's learning.
• Children with SEND are supported extremely well. Staff build close and professional relationships with parents, carers and other agencies. Individualised plans for children with SEND are regularly reviewed and discussed with parents. Parents are welcomed into the pre-school to speak to key staff regarding their child's development. Additionally, home visits are conducted throughout the year to provide parents with support regarding referrals, or to discuss their child's specific needs. Staff are mindful of children's experiences and backgrounds, and use additional funding to provide activities to widen children's life experiences. For example, recent funding has been spent on developing the outside area and the physical opportunities available to children.
• At mealtimes, staff and children sit together and have lovely conversations about their morning. Staff use every opportunity to develop children's independence skills. For example, children instinctively wash their hands before meals and choose their coat and wellies prior to outdoor play.
• Partnerships with parents are exceptional. The staff strive to build strong relationships and provide ongoing support for parents. For example, staff collaborate with parents on toilet training, providing useful advice and guidance. Additionally, they assist parents in enhancing their children's speech and language development, for example, by sharing ideas for reducing the use of dummies. Parents regularly receive updates on their children's development and guidance on how to enhance learning at home.