Little Ducklings Rockbeare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily and settle quickly. They share warm interactions with staff, which helps them to feel secure. For example, babies benefit from lots of cuddles and interactions with their key persons. Children benefit from fresh air and physical exercise as they spend much of their time outside, exploring independently. Older children develop good physical skills as they ably climb and run in the garden. Babies enjoy lots of sensory play with sand and water to nurture their curiosity and excitement. Children behave well.

Children benefit from a broad and varied curriculum. Staff focus their teaching effectively to support all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, children make good progress. Staff plan a varied range of learning experiences that engage children and take account of their interests. Staff know children well and have high expectations for their learning. There is a good focus on supporting children's personal, social and emotional development. All staff consistently interact with the children, providing them with good role models. This helps children to develop good social skills.

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

• Staff liaise closely with parents to find out what children already know and can do. Consequently, staff have a secure understanding of what they want children to learn next and why. Staff engage children effectively and model building sentences by repeating what children say and adding another word. For example, children say 'house' as they build with blocks. Staff respond with 'big house' to encourage children to begin to put two words together and develop their language further.
• Children's behaviour is good. They learn to share and take turns and staff support them well to negotiate. Children wait patiently for their turn to complete the 'safari hunt' outside. Staff introduce positional language such as 'over' and 'through' as children climb the steps on the slide and move through the tunnel, to support their development.
• Children demonstrate good concentration and focus well on a broad range of interesting learning opportunities. They listen intently to a story and enthusiastically sing songs, including number rhymes. However, children do not have many opportunities to use numbers and count during routines and other activities.
• Babies demonstrate that they feel secure in the care of staff, who are kind and gentle in their approach. Babies smile and giggle as staff encourage playfulness with scarves and natural resources, turn-taking and playing peekaboo. Older children are starting to be more independent. They fasten their shoes as they get ready to play outside and make independent play choices. Staff give children lots of praise and encouragement, which builds children's self-esteem and prepares them for the next steps in their learning.
• Older children chat confidently as they play with and alongside others. Staff learn key words in the home language of children who speak English as an additional language. Staff use effective strategies, such as visual cards, to provide some support to children who need help with their communication skills. However, staff have not considered other ways to support children who are not speaking yet to help them communicate more.
• Children learn about a healthy lifestyle. They engage with staff in conversation about good oral health, while using models of teeth, toothpaste and toothbrushes to practise teeth brushing. Mealtimes are a sociable occasion, when children have either a nutritious hot meal provided by the setting or a packed lunch from home. They follow thorough hygiene routines and understand the importance of good handwashing.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. There is a very good two-way flow of communication between staff and parents. Parents value the support and guidance from staff and sharing of information ensures a secure approach to supporting children's learning and progress.
• The provider and staff regularly reflect on their practice and assess the quality of the provision well. Staff have good training opportunities to develop their practice and feel well supported by the manager.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more opportunities for children to count and use numbers
• develop further strategies to support children even more in developing their communication skills.