Noahs Ark Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish in this exceptional pre-school. Extremely passionate and highly skilled staff plan a rich and effective curriculum where children make rapid and sustained progress. Children are exceptionally motivated in their learning and staff know the children exceedingly well. They make sure that activities have clear outcomes for children's learning. For example, children use safety knives to cut vegetables and use tongs to put rice noodles into their vegetable pots making themselves a noodle salad. Children learn about healthy eating and how to use a variety of tools. They also have good opportunities to increase their vocabulary, such as repeating 'twist' and 'squeeze' as they extract the juice from a lemon to add to their salad.

Children's behaviour is exemplary. They are exceptionally kind and considerate to each other and the staff. Children build very good relationships and invite others to join in their play. For example, a child waits by the door with some toys ready for their friend to arrive. Both children get excited and confidently go off to play together. Children cooperate well with each other in activities. For example, they learn about animals and their habitat and take turns to take an animal from the bag. Children know that fish live in the water and birds live in the trees, and help each other to identify that the beetle lives under the log. This helps children to learn new vocabulary such as 'habitat' and 'nocturnal'. They count the legs on the beetle, reinforcing their mathematical knowledge. In addition, they learn about the natural world.

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

• Partnerships with parents are exceptional. Parents report that they are exceedingly well informed about how their child is progressing and how they can support their child at home with their continued learning. Parents talked about the warm friendships their children build in the setting with children and adults. Parents take part in activities such as modelling clothes for a sustainability fashion show. Parents report that it is very much a 'Noah's Ark' family that you join when your child attends the setting. Parents state that their children are making very good progress.
• Children have excellent opportunities to support their health and well-being. The pre-school is working with a local organisation to educate children on where food comes from, including tasting foods such as fruits and vegetables, and watching seeds grow into vegetables. Children enjoy tasting a wider variety of vegetables, such as mushrooms, courgettes and spring onion as they make their noodle salads. Children highly benefit from the forest school, where they take part in physical challenges such as getting up the big hill and balancing on logs. In addition, they pedal bikes in the outside area and use loose parts to create obstacle courses. This helps children to develop core muscle strength.
• The managers and staff are exceptionally passionate about giving children the best start in life. They work particularly well together as a team. The special educational needs coordinator is exceedingly knowledgeable and works very closely with parents and other professionals to make sure that children make the best possible progress given their starting points. All staff are very keen to attend training to make sure their knowledge is up to date. Staff have regular supervision and they feel well looked after and respected.
• There is a highly effective key-person system to make sure that every child has an adult that knows them exceptionally well. Parents welcome the home visit when their children first start, as this makes the transition to pre-school much smoother. All staff know their key children exceptionally well and are able to plan a highly effective curriculum that supports children in becoming confident and independent learners. Children are exceptionally well prepared for the move to school.
• Highly skilled staff deliver excellent learning opportunities in small groups to help support children with their communication and language and personal, social and emotional development. This helps children to make progress in these areas. For example, children look at photos and talk about objects such as boots. Staff ask the children when boots are worn, to extend and reinforce children's communication and language skills.