Roselands Pre-School Highamwood

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy attending this exceptionally warm, welcoming setting. On arrival, they show a great sense of security as they happily and enthusiastically settle into activities and follow a routine that is very familiar to them. Children build extremely close friendships. For example, at group time they eagerly call their friends to come and sit with them.

Staff have high expectations for all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They provide children with a wealth of interesting resources, indoors and outdoors, which they skilfully use to support children's interests and move them on in their learning. Children choose and use the resources confidently, are exceptionally motivated to learn and persist during all activities.

Children behave exceptionally well and treat each other and staff with respect. Staff are excellent role models. They plan the learning environment well so children can develop independence from an early age. For example, children have learned how to put their own coats on. When they realise they have their coat on the wrong way round, they take it off and keep trying until they have it the correct way round. This shows children have developed resilience.

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

• The quality of education is outstanding. The manager and staff provide a highly exciting broad curriculum that successfully engages children in learning. Staff understand how to promote children's learning exceptionally well. They skilfully develop children's great interest in books, for example, as they consistently read to children using the high-quality books around the setting.
• All children, including children with SEND, get the best start in life. The special educational needs coordinator and all staff have an exceptional understanding of children's needs. They closely monitor children's progress. Swift referrals initiated by the setting mean children get the extra help and support they need. This results in children making rapid progress in their learning. Staff make the best use of any additional funding children receive. They carefully plan the most effective way to use it, which supports children to make the best possible progress in their learning and development.
• Staff focus strongly on supporting children's communication and learning. For instance, staff organise adult-led activities, which they use to extend children's confidence to talk, vocabulary and literacy skills successfully.
• Children behave exceptionally well. Staff support children extremely well to learn to share, take turns and follow the rules. Staff are very positive role models and are extremely consistent in their approach. For instance, when children ride a bike up a slope, staff quietly and gently provide them with guidance that successfully gains their cooperation and understanding of what is expected.
• Children are incredibly independent, understand expectations and develop the skills they need for the future. For example, they put on their boots in the outdoor area before playing in the mud kitchen. When they have finished, they find their shoes, put them back on, checking they are on the right feet, and place the boots back where they belong.
• Children's physical development is a key strength in the setting. Staff provide children with exceptional opportunities to learn about healthy lifestyles. For example, they provide children with a wide range of fresh fruit at snack time and support them to develop physical skills as children learn to climb, pedal, run and dig in the outdoor area.
• The manager focuses strongly on continuously improving this outstanding setting. She places a high priority on staff professional development and continuously maintains the high standard of education children receive. Staff report that they feel supported by the manager and have high levels of well-being.
• Partnership with parents is strong. Parents are very happy with the care and education their children receive. They discuss the exceptional development their children have made since they started at the setting. Parents value the close bonds that staff form with their key children and the comprehensive information they receive about their children's progress. Staff focus strongly on involving parents in their children's learning and development.