Ohana Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle well in this well-organised and highly resourced specialist setting. The environment is carefully designed to be soothing and calm with pastel coloured walls, soft lighting and low acoustics. Qualified therapists carry out initial assessments of children to determine their special learning needs and bespoke plans are drawn up to support them. Staff find out about children's interests, likes and dislikes and use this information to inform planning. Staff respect each child's individuality and value all children highly. They interact with children warmly and manage their behaviour in positive ways.

The curriculum is wide and varied and tailored to the needs of each child. Staff use sign language and alternative communication strategies to develop children's communication skills well. They create scenes based on children's books, such as 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar', and children use props to retell the story. Staff teach children new words, such as 'fill, pour and 'empty' as children scoop and pour rice grains. They sing engaging songs and rhymes in gentle tones. Staff support children's mathematical development well. They play games with children where they match numerals to the correct number of dots on cards. Staff count objects with children, such as the number of petals on a flower and sing counting songs. They teach children the names of different shapes as they complete shape puzzles. All of these activities help children to make good progress and gain valuable skills in readiness for their next stage of learning.

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

• Staff provide a variety of creative, sensory activities and resources for children. Children concentrate well as they mix paints to make new colours. They enjoy observing coloured light filters in the sensory room and use a range of tactile resources of different textures. Children enjoy exploring different sounds as they beat drums and develop good creative skills.
• Staff provide a broad variety of resources and activities to support children's physical development successfully. For instance, children enjoy the challenge of ascending an indoor climbing wall and crawling through tunnels. Staff organise music and movement sessions, where children practise different arm movements using coloured scarves. Children gain good physical skills.
• Staff provide excellent, high level and comprehensive support to children with special educational needs. They have on-site qualified therapists, who spend time assessing and supporting each child in well-resourced, dedicated therapy rooms. Therapists and staff carefully devise individual plans with key goals for each child. They ensure that all children's progress is monitored and work well to support those who are behind in their learning.
• Children learn to do things for themselves. They fetch their shoes and coats and staff teach them how to put them on. Children feed themselves at mealtimes and help to tidy up after play sessions. Staff play group games with children, where the children learn to share and to take turns.
• Staff work very closely with parents to promote best outcomes for children. They invite parents for termly meetings to discuss their children's progress. Staff provide feedback on children's activities, and progress, in flexible and effective ways. They share ideas with parents on ways they can support their children's learning at home. Staff provide comprehensive information to parents on local support for children with special educational needs. Parents express high levels of satisfaction with the setting. They say staff help children to make good progress through tailored care in a homely environment.
• Leaders monitor and support staff effectively. They spend a lot of time in the group room modelling best practice and observing staff. Leaders give staff feedback on ways to enhance their practice. They meet up with staff regularly to discuss and support their work. Leaders are committed to continual staff development and ensure that staff have access to a range of courses. On-site qualified therapists provide various training to staff on how to support children's learning.
• Leaders evaluate all aspects of the provision. They set goals to build ongoing improvement and to promote best outcomes for children.
• Staff have begun to teach children some understanding of the world around them, such as different types of weather. However, this aspect of the curriculum has not been fully developed. For instance, staff do not consistently teach children about how things grow or features of the local community.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend knowledge on how to enhance children's understanding of the world, particularly how things grow and features of the local community.