Puddleducks@Rising Bridge Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have a great start to their early education. They benefit from a strong curriculum that is progressive and develops their learning. This helps children to grow into strong, confident individuals. Staff know children very well and provide additional support for those who need extra help. This helps all children to make good progress. Staff continually reflect on what children know and can do. They use this information to provide experiences to support children's learning further. A particular strength is how well staff help children develop their concentration skills. For example, they provide a quiet room for small-group learning experiences. As a result, children are able to remain focused and engaged without any distractions.

The setting provides many opportunities that enrich children's learning. For example, staff take children on regular trips to places of interest. They often visit the provider's farm, 'Peggy's Patch', where they complete forest-school learning experiences. As a result, children get to experience and explore the world around them. This is further enhanced, as the setting encourages parents to share information and activities linked to their jobs. For example, children recently learned about the local pie factory and how to fix machinery that makes the pies. These first-hand experiences support children to develop positive attitudes to learning.

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

• Children in the setting feel safe and emotionally secure because staff know them very well. For example, staff use strategies in line with home routines to settle babies to sleep. Consequently, babies sleep incredibly well. Their comfort and safety are further assured as staff stay with them as they sleep.
• Children have positive attitudes to learning. For example, young children practise building towers using shaving foam as cement. However, when they struggle to keep their tower upright, staff are too eager to step in to tell them how to make the tower more structurally stable. During these times, some children do not always build their determination or think critically.
• Staff have a clear understanding of the setting's behaviour management strategies. However, staff do not consistently follow these. For example, staff can recite the key messages about how to support behaviour, yet do not always show this in practice. As a result, some children occasionally receive inconsistent messages of what is expected of them.
• Staff support children to develop confidence, which enables children to express their thoughts and ideas. This ensures that all children have a voice that is heard. By the time children reach pre-school, they are able to build constructive relationships with their peers. Children are extremely happy in the setting.
• Staff know the children well and make prompt referrals to outside agencies. This means that children, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, get the support they need. This helps children to progress at a rapid rate.
• Staff undertake regular assessments of what children know and can do. As a result, they are able to identify children that need additional support. Staff work together as a team to adapt the curriculum, for example by breaking it down into small steps while waiting for specialist support.
• Staff are well supported at the setting. They have a manageable workload and work incredibly well as a team. This creates a happy environment. This also means that staff have additional time to dedicate time to meeting the needs of children.
• The provider has created a rich environment which supports the curriculum they have formed. For example, children use real tools to peel their own potatoes in the role play area. This allows children to better understand the world around them.
• The setting values the thoughts and ideas of the parents it supports. For example, it provides a suggestion box and takes on board parents' ideas. For instance, the setting now provides a library so children can take books home. This partnership with parents has a positive impact on children's early literacy.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to implement consistent behaviour management strategies to give children clear messages
• provide children with learning experiences to support them to think critically and enhance their learning.