Little Cuckoos Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children eagerly arrive ready to explore the wonderfully open space they use as their outside classroom. Staff greet parents and children warmly and after a seamless transition, children immediately immerse themselves in deep-level learning. For example, children practise their fine motor skills using small brushes to paint with mud water. Younger children explore their natural curiosity, engaging in a wealth of activities to support their early exploration skills. For example, younger children dig for pretend dinosaur bones and staff support their early communication skills by repeating words, such as 'dig, dinosaur' and 'bones'.

Children are happy, secure and motivated, which underpins their ability to thrive, learn and develop within an enriching environment. For example, children skilfully hammer small nails into wood, supporting their hand-to-eye coordination. Children are confident communicators and they develop good speaking and listening skills. Children have access to a variety of open-ended resources. Children use a willow arch as a dinosaur den while laughing and naming their dinosaurs, using vocabulary such as 'Brontosaurus'.

Children show high levels of respect for one another and adults, and their behaviour is exemplary. Staff are highly skilled when interacting with children, inspiring, guiding and informing their learning in sequence. For example, staff discuss with children during snack the importance of healthy foods, using their manners and helping their friends.

Parents express how their children's development has accelerated during their time at the setting. Parents are informed of their children's development through detailed daily updates and have secure and trusting relationships with staff. Staff welcome parents into the setting to share children's learning and celebrate their individual achievements. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the manager remained in contact with children and their families, signposting them to where they could access support.

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

• The dedicated manager's ambitious curriculum intent is implemented extremely well by staff and embedded securely. All interactions with children are of a high quality. Staff know children well and what they need to take them to their next stage of learning.
• The staff have an excellent awareness of how children learn and provide opportunities for children that support their well-being and emotional development. For example, staff naturally discuss emotions, such as scared or worried, through conversations with children. Staff provide wonderful learning opportunities for children using mathematical language, such as 'big, how many, empty' and 'full' when children are pouring water during snack.
• The manager and staff have high expectations for all children in their care, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work extremely closely with outside agencies to meet children's individual needs. Staff provide accurate and detailed assessments of children's learning and development. Gaps in learning are swiftly identified, ensuring all children make excellent progress. For example, staff recognise that speech and language and building relationships is a priority, so they have tailored teaching opportunities to support children with this.
• The manager and staff are exceptionally committed and have a clear vision of the high-quality planning and teaching they want to provide. Staff monitor and evaluate the provision successfully. For example, a bush that was blocking children's view of the garden has recently been removed to enhance children's opportunities for communication and observation. The surplus mud has now formed a pile in which the children enjoy climbing and racing toy diggers up and down, supporting their physical development.
• Staff's professional development is continuously reviewed to ensure they are providing the highest quality of care, supporting children's learning and development. All staff agree that they receive consistent support from the manager, which strongly supports high levels of motivation and staff well-being.
• Staff provide children with consistent boundaries, while having excellent choices, with a strong emphasis on enabling children to manage their own risks. For example, children climb up onto the tree swing independently. Staff show children high levels of respect, treat them with kindness and value their opinions. Staff provide outstanding support for children to become highly independent while enabling them to manage age-appropriate risks, for example children have fun walking and balancing on top of tyres and chasing their friends.
• The manager and staff understand the importance of early years education to build firm foundations for life-long learning. They engage with their community very effectively and understand families' needs to ensure every child has the same outstanding opportunities. For example, children visit the local farm and look after the chickens in the outside classroom.