Little Ducks Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are eager to attend the pre-school, and leave parents and carers with ease to begin their day. They quickly become familiar with the daily routines and gain help or reassurance from staff as they need. Children benefit from the staff's clear and consistent expectations of behaviour.

They recognise that when staff ring the bell this indicates a time to listen or tidy away the toys. Children know that the pre-school has some rules they must follow to keep themselves safe.Children anticipate story times with excitement.

They listen intently to staff as they read or recite a tale and staff encourage them to partic...ipate and make predictions. For example, as they enjoy a Christmas story about Mary and Joseph, they eagerly suggest the form of transport they may have used to travel to Bethlehem. Children have opportunities to access books throughout each session.

They show intense concentration as they engage in role play with available props and finger puppets.Children have many opportunities to foster their imagination. They enjoy preparing pretend food and drink for visitors and say that they love to play in the home corner best.

Children explore the dressing-up materials and take on the role of different characters. They become highly amused as they try on jackets, hats and glasses to introduce themselves as a family relative.

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

The enthusiastic management team is committed to provide the highest quality care for children.

They welcome feedback from staff, parents and the local authority to help identify areas for improvement. For example, following a recent visit from the early years adviser, they have made changes to the environment. This has shown an increase in children's level of enjoyment and curiosity.

Relationships throughout the pre-school promote a culture of respect. All staff feel extremely satisfied in their job role and describe the management team as very approachable. They receive regular support to review their practice and ensure their workload is at a manageable level.

Staff implement the pre-school policies consistently to promote children's good health. They follow detailed care plans for children and swiftly recognise when they are in need of medication. Staff strictly adhere to children's dietary requirements.

They regularly encourage parents to send children in with food that is wholesome and nutritious.Staff know the children they work with well. They plan daily experiences to offer a curriculum that is ambitious for all children.

Staff deploy themselves effectively across the areas children use and tailor the level of support that they provide. This ensures children receive suitable levels of challenge and the most able children have opportunities to excel.Staff place a strong focus on working with other providers.

For example, they gain permission from parents to allow children's childminders to access the online software that they use. Staff share information about children's progress with other settings children move on to. They gain feedback from local schools to help them prepare children for future learning.

Children demonstrate competent skills in mathematics and literacy. Staff use a wide range of activities to enable children to hear and say the initial sounds in words. They support them to recognise their name in print.

Staff encourage children to use numbers to solve problems. Together, they carefully work out how many boys or girls there are in the pre-school.Parents are very happy with the care staff provide and the opportunity for daily discussions with their child's key person.

They feel their children have made especially good progress in their speech and language development. Parents value the ideas staff provide them with to extend children's learning at home.At times, staff do not make the best use of the activities that they plan.

For example, they encourage children to stand up and talk about their experiences from home, but do not always time these contributions to capture the full attention of their audience. Children are not always aware of the full range of stimulating adult-led activities available to them.The management team has detailed improvement plans in place to further enhance staff teaching practice.

For example, they plan to make better use of opportunities for staff to watch each other teach and have booked staff on future training. However, these plans have not been fully implemented or evaluated.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The process for staff recruitment and induction is robust. This ensures the suitability of all adults who work with children and that they are aware of their roles and responsibilities. Staff are alert to the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child who is at risk of harm.

They know the procedures to follow if they have any concerns about a child in their care or with the practice of another member of the staff team. The provider and deputy manager work closely with external agencies to share information as required.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: review the organisation of adult-led activities so children are fully aware of what is available to them and have improved opportunities to share their experiences nimplement and evaluate the plans for development, in order to work towards achieving teaching practice of a consistently high quality.