Puddleducks Under Fives Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and generally settled. They enjoy their time at the setting. Staff use children's interests and their next steps to help plan a range of stimulating activities. This helps to ensure all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), thrive at the setting. Children enjoy their time outside. They use a range of different movements as they climb and balance on the play equipment. Children work well together. For instance, they help each other make it across the obstacle course. Children regularly seek out staff when they are in need of assistance. Staff share key information with other settings children are due to attend. This helps to ensure children receive consistency in their care and/or learning.

Children are provided with lots of opportunities to test out their ideas and make predictions. They enjoy the cause and effect as they add different materials together to make their own play dough. Staff have lots of discussions with the children about what else they need to add when the mixture is 'too watery'. They also encourage children to use a range of their senses as they add different smells and spices to the mixture. Children show lots of concentration as they play. For instance, when they stack using the blocks or when they are attempting to fit puzzle pieces together. Staff are on hand to assist the children where required. Children enjoy sensory activities, such as paint play. They use the different brushes and their fingers to explore the paint. That said, staff are not consistent with how they manage children's behaviour. This does not support all children to start to understand right from wrong.

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

• Leaders use the feedback from others to help make continued improvements. This has helped to raise the overall quality of the setting, since the last inspection. Leaders are keen for children to leave their setting ready for the next stage of their learning.
• Leaders find out key information about the children from their parents. This includes the children's likes, interests and individual care routines. However, some staff do not fully utilise what they know about the children to help encourage them to settle swiftly, when they become upset.
• The curriculum is rich. It is sequenced well to build on what children know and can do over time. Staff plan a range of purposeful activities for children to engage with. However, at times staff do not think carefully enough about the organisation of activities. They do not ensure there is always enough resources for all the children who wish to access the activities. This does not enable all children to become fully immersed in the learning experiences on offer.
• Leaders place focus on supporting children's communication and language development. They have introduced a range of strategies since their last inspection to help improve children's vocabulary. Staff speak clearly to children. They remodel children's language well. Staff provide children with lots of space and time to think about their responses to questions.
• Staff find out children's starting points from parents. They then regularly observe and assess children's development. Staff use this information to help identify where a child requires additional support. They then seek support from other professionals. This helps to ensure that children with SEND receive the specialist support they require.
• Staff remind children of the rules where needed. They also ask the children to 'stop' when they display negative behaviours. However, staff do not speak to the children about their actions or how this affects others. This does not ensure all children fully understand what is expected of them.
• Staff talk positively about the support they receive from leaders. This includes how leaders support their own well-being. Leaders hold regular meetings and supervisions with staff. This helps them identify any training needs.
• Parents speak highly of the setting. They share that they can see the progress their child has made in their development. Staff keep parents informed of their child's learning and ways they can support their child at home.
• Leaders are keen for children to learn about their similarities and differences. They find out about each child's background and use this to provide resources that represent the children and their families. Staff celebrate a range of festivals throughout the year. This helps children to learn about the wider world.
• Staff provide children with a range of balanced snacks. They encourage children to wash their hands regularly. Staff also talk to the children about the importance of oral hygiene. This helps children to learn how they can stay clean and healthy.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to manage children's behaviour in a consistent manner, to help children understand right from wrong
• review and strengthen the arrangements for how staff settle children to further promote children's well-being
• enhance the organisation of activities, to enable all children to become fully submerged in the learning experiences on offer.