Dingley Family & Specialist Early Years Centres (Reading Centre)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) thrive in the warm and welcoming environment.

They are eager to come into the centre, showing that they feel safe and secure. The committed manager shows a clear vision for the intent of the curriculum. She works effectively with staff, parents and other professionals.

This ensures children receive the support they need, to enable them to progress. Staff have high expectations for every child and effectively analyse and identify children's learning needs. This enables them to provide an environment that focuses on helping children to develop skills acro...ss all areas of the curriculum.

They place a significant focus on supporting children's communication and language skills. Children benefit from small-group activities to help boost their listening, and attention skills.Children behave well.

Staff act as very good role models and frequently use positive language to help children understand expected behaviour. For instance, staff praise children for good listening and sitting. They are particularly supportive in helping children who struggle to control their feelings.

For example, they use language, such as, 'I understand' and 'I know how you feel', alongside providing gentle physical comfort to help children calm and regulate their emotions.

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

The manager and staff are committed to their roles and responsibilities. Staff receive good levels of support, to help them improve their knowledge and skills.

For instance, through ongoing training and regular supervision meetings. All staff are qualified and use their experience and knowledge well to provide positive outcomes for children.A well-established key-person system promotes children's emotional well-being and helps them to form secure attachments.

When children first start attending the centre, staff meet with parents/carers to find out about children's unique characteristics and what they enjoy.Staff have a good understanding of children's learning needs. They assess their progress accurately and know what they need to learn next.

They plan activities to build on children's strengths to help them to progress further. Subsequently, all children make progress from their starting points.Staff incorporate children's interests well into activities.

For example, when children show an interest in shredded paper, staff extend this by introducing additional activities using flour. They sprinkle flour into a large tray, sing songs and encourage children to make marks and patterns.Children have access to a range of high-quality resources that support their learning and development successfully.

They make independent choices in their play as they explore and investigate. Throughout activities, staff provide a dialogue, repeat words and phrases and introduce new words appropriate to individual children's level of understanding.Overall, staff interact well with children and children respond positively to them.

However, on occasion, staff interrupt children's play and concentration by moving them on to an activity before they are ready. As a result, staff lose children's interest.Children enjoy the time they spend outdoors.

There are a good range of resources to support their physical skills, including climbing apparatus, swings and ride-on toys. Children with physical disabilities show great skill as they manoeuvre around obstacles with confidence. Staff gradually challenge their abilities, such as encouraging them to climb in and out of play cars independently and push a car tyre while holding on to a walking frame with one hand.

Although staff ensure that children wear coats for outdoor play, they do not regularly check that they are warm enough. For example, during the inspection, some children with limited language had cold hands and were not able to express this to staff.Partnerships with parents are very strong.

Staff work very closely with them. They speak to them daily and keep them abreast of their children's progress. Parents regularly share information with staff about what children are learning at home so that this can be extended within the centre.

Self-evaluation is effective. The manager and staff are committed to continuously drive improvement. They regularly involve parents in evaluating the practice to help develop the provision further.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The manager ensures that staff keep up to date with all safeguarding training and, as a result, they have a very good knowledge and a clear understanding of the signs and symptoms which could indicate a child is at risk. They know what procedures to follow to protect children from harm.

There are comprehensive safeguarding procedures in place and staff have a broad understanding of wider safeguarding concerns and how to identify and report these. Robust recruitment procedures are in place to ensure that those working with children are suitable.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance the opportunities to support children more effectively to sustain their concentration during activities review the arrangements for outdoor play, so that children who are not able to express themselves are adequately dressed for the weather conditions.