Little Dolphins Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are extremely confident and well behaved. They come in very happy and are eager to see what exciting activities they can explore. Children are very secure as they know that they are valued by the caring and attentive staff. They confidently choose what they want to do and ask for help when needed. Children decide to construct vehicles. They select available instruction cards and staff knowledgeably offer suggestions to help them independently complete the task. Younger children relish being active in the fresh air. They play at the mud kitchen and delight in the sensory experiences. Staff support their investigation wonderfully and extend their experimentation and learning. Children feel extremely safe. All areas are thoughtfully designed to promote their safety. Staff also very effectively help children to understand risk and to keep themselves safe. Children relish riding trikes down the sloping garden navigating the space safely, and developing their confidence and physical skills very effectively.

Staff have very high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Children make exceptional progress through the well-sequenced curriculum. Staff skilfully encourage them to share their thoughts, ideas and plans. For example, they ask children what they are building. Children tell them it is a dam to hold back lots of water, and staff encourage their thinking further, with discussion of why they might need to collect all that water.

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

• Staff are extremely effective at teaching children to be independent. They ensure all children's learning is sequenced and builds on what they know. Staff know exactly when to interact with the children as they expertly identify all learning opportunities. Children work together to clear up after meals, including doing the washing up. They show deep respect to each other. Adults set an excellent example and model respect to each other and the children. As a result, children behave exceptionally well and can follow the routine calmly. Children develop an excellent awareness of healthy lifestyles. They relish being out in the fresh air and noticing their bodies' response to exercise. Children develop an awareness of healthy eating through the nutritious and healthy snacks the pre-school provides.
• All the staff have a deep understanding of the curriculum and how children learn. Staff use extremely effective assessment to monitor children's progress. They share this knowledge with each other. This means all staff know all the children incredibly well. They use this knowledge to plan exciting activities that all children can engage in. For example, children make clay models of ladybirds. Younger children develop their fine motor skills and learn new words such as 'squash' and 'poke', while older children count out spots and legs. Children learn language for more and less as they find the legs and spots. Staff take every opportunity to help children learn new words and sentence structures. They model language extremely well to children. This helps children make excellent progress with speech and language across many different contexts.
• The manager and staff have excellent partnerships with parents. They use highly effective settling-in procedures. This means all children develop confidence and trust in the staff. Parents are incredibly happy with the progress their children make at the setting. Staff plan activities that children can take home and share with their parents. This helps children make excellent connections between the two settings and helps parents to continue children's learning at home. For instance, children plant peas in small pots at pre-school and take them home to look after. They share photos of their peas with their friends and staff. This helps children to remember past events and share experiences.
• Staff have excellent links with the local school. This ensures transition into school for all children is highly effective. The manager and all the staff constantly seek to improve outcomes for children. The manager continually assesses the quality of the provision and clearly identifies areas for improvement. Staff well-being is a priority and regular supervision meetings are undertaken. All staff continuously train and seek new ways to support and educate children. This ensures all children achieve their maximum potential. The manager works closely with other local settings and offers support as needed.
• Staff work closely with parents and outside agencies to ensure all children, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make rapid progress. The special educational needs coordinator ensures children follow any targets set by other professionals. Children all benefit from some of the strategies that have been implemented, especially with regard to communication and language.