The Hamlet Centre Children's Service

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children, all of whom have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), really enjoy coming to this pre-school. They arrive with smiles on their faces as they are greeted at the door by kind and caring staff. Children, many of whom are new to the pre-school, confidently separate from their parents and settle.

There is an effective key-person system in place. The key person builds strong relationships with the children, and their families, from the very beginning. The pre-school offers home visits for families before their children start, where they gain a wealth of information about the children. Staff use this knowledge to ensure children's needs, some of which may be medical, are carefully considered. There is a wealth of resources to capture the interests of the children and support their learning. The knowledgeable staff have high expectations for children. Children are supported to be physically active as they explore a variety of activities to develop their large muscles and build strength. They have opportunities to use energy in the soft-play room or have a quieter time in the calming sensory room, both of which are purpose provided.

Staff are good role models and encourage children to be kind and respectful of each other and the environment. Staff are calm and consistent, when supporting children's behaviour, and helping children to recognise their own emotions. Staff provide children with simple strategies and resources, such as a familiar, safe cosy space, so that they can have time and space to self-regulate.

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

• Management and staff, with support from the local authority, have made swift progress since the last inspection. They have revised the curriculum and identified the important skills and knowledge that they want the children to experience and learn. They are building a curriculum with a key focus on being safe and healthy, independence and communication. There is an extensive mandatory training programme in place for staff, all of whom have experience in supporting children with SEND. New staff are appropriately inducted. There are plans to enhance staff supervisions, and embed and further strengthen the curriculum, but due to limited time this has not yet been achieved.
• Staff to child ratios are high. Staff are aware of any risks and ensure children are always supervised. There is a good balance of free play, both inside and outside, where children can explore and experiment with the resources, with close staff support. This is in addition to small group, adult-led learning, where children are supported to learn and practise new skills, such as listening, following instructions and turn-taking.
• Personal care is sensitively carried out by each child's key person. Children benefit from consistent, predictable daily routines. Staff ensure the children understand what is going to happen next. They use pictorial images and involve children in a 'count down' strategy to prepare children to transition to the next activity. This helps children to know what is expected of them at different times of the day.
• Staff use a broad range of strategies to support children to gain key communication skills. Staff chat easily with the children. They speak with clarity, get down to the children's level and use short sentences with familiar language. Staff take every opportunity to sing songs and rhymes with regular repetition. Staff further encourage children's communication and language development, using simple sign language, pictorial images, books, song sacks and other props.
• Staff ensure children are supported to be as independent as they can be. Staff do this by careful modelling and positive encouragement and by adapting their teaching to help children to make choices during the session. For example, when children want to sing the nursery rhyme 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star', they point to the star to communicate their wish.
• Staff help children to develop healthy lifestyle habits. They have plenty of opportunity for physical exercise and fresh air. Staff are very mindful of children's dietary needs. Children enjoy nutritious snacks, with staff encouraging them to explore new tastes and textures. The pre-school provides guidance and support to parents on healthy lunch boxes, but this has not been wholly successful. As a result, children do not receive consistent messages about making healthy choices while at pre-school.
• Partnerships with parents and other professionals are strong. Parents speak extremely highly of the pre-school, praising the staff who go 'above and beyond'. Staff keep parents well informed about their children's progress and how they can support their children at home. There is ongoing engagement with other professionals and outreach services and good links with schools, which children will eventually move on to.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• implement plans to enhance staff supervision arrangements and embed, and further strengthen, the recently revised curriculum
• engage even more closely with parents, in order to promote healthier eating practices at lunchtimes for all children.