Lakenheath Little Fishes

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are confident and very happy. Prior to starting at the setting, they watch a video of a story read by their key person and are shown photos of the hall. This makes it easier for the children when they begin attending. Children know the daily routines and participate in a morning song. They laugh and enjoy the moment as they dance with their friends. Staff are very welcoming and explain the activities on offer so that children make independent choices to select where to play. Children are curious, eager to learn and ask lots of questions.

Children are very kind and considerate. They behave very well. They have close bonds with staff, especially their key person, who they go to for a cuddle. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are very well supported. Key staff are allocated to ensure that their needs are fully met and they get the most out of their sessions. Children's well-being is at the heart of the setting. Staff value children's contributions and praise children to build further on their self-esteem.

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

• Staff have high expectations for all children. They plan an exciting curriculum that builds on what children already know and captures their interests. Children are grouped by age, and the resources and activities are tailored to meet their differing needs.
• Staff focus on developing children's speech. Children in need of more support are identified and staff are quick to respond by developing tools to assist them. Each child has a box containing resources for them to use to strengthen the muscles in their mouths. This helps them to make the variety of speech sounds needed to pronounce words.
• Staff include children in daily tasks, such as cleaning the table and sweeping the floor, which they take great pride in. Staff enable children to respond to their own needs. For example, children take a tissue to blow their nose and understand the need to use antibacterial gel on their hands to remove the germs after using it.
• Children's physical development is well planned for. Staff give children many opportunities to practise and extend their skills. Every morning, children take their play dough and join in with a song. They pull and stretch the dough in time to the music, having lots of fun. This helps to develop their hand muscles in preparation for early writing.
• Staff introduce mathematical concepts in children's play. During a 'noodle' activity, staff help children to compare the length of different noodles. Staff support the children to problem-solve and decide when their noodle pot is full. The children spend a long time fully engaged in the activity. They enjoy filling and emptying their containers, using utensils such as tongs.
• There are times, however, when the routines of the day disrupt children's engagement. For example, children are asked to stop their play to move on to an adult-led activity, such as story time. This means that they do not always have the opportunity to finish their chosen activity.
• The manager values staff's opinions, and decisions are made together. As a result, staff work very well as a team and share the same vision for children's learning. As a team, staff reflect on the things that work well and identify where improvements are still needed, demonstrating their commitment to good practice. The manager has effective systems to review staff's training and ensure their knowledge and skills remain up to date. Staff have a good transition process in place with the local school and work well alongside other professionals.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Staff send home small projects for children to do with their families. They ask children to bring in items from home to show others. Families participate well. Some parents are farmers and they bring their lambs to show the children. The children are involved in the local community and join in with events.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and enhance the daily routines so that children are given time to finish their self-chosen play.