Southlands Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive at this wonderfully welcoming and inclusive kindergarten. The quality of education they receive is outstanding, and it leaves them superbly equipped with the key skills and attitudes they need for future learning. Children display high levels of enjoyment in their learning, being with the nurturing staff and with each other. Staff provide children with an incredible array of activities and experiences, both indoors and outdoors. Children develop excellent understanding of current affairs. For example, they talk about the Queen's passing, the flowers they delivered to the 'memorial' and how 'we have a new king now'.

Behaviour is exemplary. Children show exceptional care and concern for their friends. For instance, as they use bubbles and wands, a child asks another: 'would you like to share mine?'. Children take turns to be the daily helper, when they get the opportunity to help to prepare snack and set the table for lunch.

Children demonstrate a sense of pride and ownership in the kindergarten. They show visitors photographs of themselves undertaking tasks in the gardening club. They use their excellent language skills to explain in detail how about how they prepared the ground, sowed the seeds and watered them. They talk about how they 'harvested' their 'crop' and what they cooked and ate.

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

• The innovative and dynamic management and staff team work tirelessly to ensure all aspects of the service they provide are of the very highest quality. They have meticulously planned a rich and inspirational curriculum that focuses precisely on children's interests and learning needs. As a result, children make rapid progress from their starting points.
• The provider has established an excellent shared culture of ongoing reflective practice and self-evaluation. She includes the views of managers, staff, parents and children, with the input of all highly valued. This relentless drive to further improve supports the identification of clear and achievable priorities for development.
• The provider is diligent in carrying out supervisions and monitoring of staff performance. She provides staff with exceptionally clear and purposeful direction, offering them targeted support and training linked to the needs of the children who attend.
• Staff and managers rigorously monitor children's learning and development. They use this information to plan the rich and well-resourced learning environment, activities and experiences they offer.
• Parents sing the praises of the staff, who they say are 'totally dedicated'. They say the care and education their children receive is exceptional. Parents comment on the 'amazing progress' their children make in all areas of learning. Parents are fully aware of their children's learning in the kindergarten and how to continue to support this while at home.
• Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve and teach with passion and enthusiasm. They build on children's strong desire to learn. Staff plan exciting activities to enable children to make use of the local amenities. For example, in the local supermarket, staff help children to develop their knowledge of mathematics as they pay for shopping, recognise numbers and weigh produce.
• Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is excellent. Parents and other agencies are fully involved. This helps to ensure that these children are extremely well supported, and care is tailored to their individual needs, so they make the best possible progress. Managers make sure they use any additional funding to help to address any gaps in children's learning.
• Staff support children to develop an excellent understanding of letters and associated sounds. Older children are able to write their name with clear, well formed, recognisable letters.
• Staff support children's communication skills exceptionally well. They ensure children are immersed in a language rich environment consistently throughout the day. They listen intently as staff read stories. Children ask interesting questions and predict endings. Mealtimes are very sociable events, where staff initiate fabulous conversations with children. Children are articulate and confident at expressing their ideas and opinions. For example, a toddler holds up their hand during a group discussion, and says: 'excuse me, I have news too'.
• The curriculum for physical development is exceptionally ambitious. Staff use the spacious garden expertly to provide activities that have a positive impact on children's physical health. Children talk with enthusiasm about the swimming sessions they take part in each week.