Richmond House Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Enthusiasm and excitement shines from children's faces as they eagerly delve into activities. Inside and outside, the children are engrossed in ambitious activities, concentrating, exploring and investigating. Young children have beaming smiles as their feet slip and slide in paint; they manage to stay balanced as they feel the texture under their toes. Caring staff are nearby to reassure and offer new language, such as 'slip', 'glide' and slide'. Children feel safe in this homely and welcoming setting and they make excellent progress.

Children behave extremely well as they are engrossed in inspiring and captivating activities. Older children model turn taking, and they gently remind younger children to say 'please' and 'thank you'. They show care when passing younger children their water bottles. Highly trained and motivated staff have ambitious expectations for all children. This means activities are extremely challenging. For example, children concentrate hard to open scoops in the rice tray, developing their fine-motor skills. Staff skilfully support as children learn to squeeze the sun lotion onto dolls. Children eagerly explain that this is to keep the babies safe from the sun. They give the dolls water to keep them hydrated. Children are learning the importance of keeping themselves safe and healthy. Parents and carers are enthusiastic and give examples of how their children learn and progress. They explain the 'welcoming bubble' they feel and they value highly the professionalism, expertise, friendliness and 'incredible support' they receive from managers and the staff team.

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

• The setting has a strong and inspirational leadership team. The dedicated staff are well qualified and eager to develop further. Leaders and staff share the same vision. They are committed to making ongoing improvements. Self-evaluation is sharply focused; this leads to excellent outcomes for children.
• Staff feel extremely well supported, both with their well-being and their professional development. Regular training is available. Staff attend both short courses and qualifying training consistently and continually extend their learning. Staff are extremely proactive; they are listened to by leaders and their motivation to provide excellence for children is evident.
• Activities are expertly planned and coordinated to meet individual and group needs. Children build on skills with secure sequencing. Progress for all children is superb, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The skilfully planned curriculum inspires children to be motivated, independent, curious and confident learners. Learning is consistently embedded, building on knowledge and skills as children transition through the setting. This means that pre-school children are ready for and eagerly awaiting the transition to school.
• Children are deeply motivated and engaged in their play; they concentrate well and recall previous learning. Older children are supported to understand the next steps in their learning. For example, during exploring dough, staff explained to children how the pincer grip would help them to hold a pencil when they learn to write at school.
• Babies babble, toddlers chatter and pre-school children hold two-way conversations. Each engaging activity draws children to participate and staff expertly intervene and thread new language or offer new concepts. For example, they introduce the word 'malleable', and discuss colours, shapes, number and size. Staff give children time and space to think and respond before repeating words clearly and correctly. Children learn successfully.
• Books, stories and rhymes are evident in all areas and in all activities. Children spontaneously link well-known songs into their play and repeat known phases of familiar stories. Activities are planned around current favourite stories and children are developing a love of books and reading.
• All children have remarkably high levels of confidence and self-esteem. Their laughter and chatter is heard throughout the setting. Children demonstrate excellent social skills; they have developed good friendships. Their behaviour is impeccable. They understand the need for boundaries and have learned why they need to follow rules. For example, they say to others 'get an apron so you don't get soaking wet'.
• The key-person system is robust. Children's emotional well-being is superbly promoted. All children thrive, feel safe and are secure. Staff know children's starting points well and use knowledge of children's home experiences to ensure activities give children the best experiences. The nurturing and highly responsive staff know each child individually and give opportunities for them to express themselves, understand and acknowledge their feelings.
• Resources, conversations and activities support children to understand diversity. Children show high levels of respect and care for each other.
• Partnerships with parents and other professionals are secure and well developed. Children receive timely early intervention and progress is rapid. Parents comment on the 'fantastic' support for the whole family. Staff value parental involvement and work with them in every aspect of their child's care and learning.