Ducklings Childcare

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children feel welcome in this very inclusive setting. They learn about differences in people, respect individuality and develop empathy.

Staff provide a very homely and caring environment. Babies and children visit the setting to help them become familiar before they start to attend. These visits are tailored to meet the individual needs of the children and their families.

Babies and children settle quickly. They show how happy and safe they feel in the setting. Following the relaxation of the COVID-19 pandemic rules, parents now come into the setting to settle their children, talk to staff and attend meetings with the...ir child's key person.

Children choose play resources and equipment independently. They show good concentration and motivation as they use scissors to cut boxes when making models. Staff have high expectations of children overall.

They teach children how to hold and use scissors correctly to help them succeed. Children talk confidently to visitors and describe the 'jewels' they have put on their models. They follow staff's instructions and work well together as they enthusiastically tidy the bricks and balls away.

Children help to create the rules of the setting and gently remind each other to follow them. Children behave well.

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

The leader and managers are ambitious for all children.

Staff are swift to intervene when children are not progressing as expected. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive excellent support. Staff use a range of strategies to promote children's development.

Staff work well with other professionals to provide a shared approach to children's learning. The leader uses additional funding effectively to help children make good progress.Staff support children's language development well overall.

They use intervention groups to support, develop and extend children's language. Staff introduce new words, such as 'absorb', and reinforce children's language using the correct pronunciation. Children speak confidently using well-constructed sentences.

However, on occasion, staff do not consistently give children the time they need to think and answer the questions they ask to extend their skills further.Parents are very pleased with the progress their children make. They describe how 'staff go above and beyond to support their children's learning'.

Parents are kept informed about their children's development through daily discussions, parent's evenings and the parent app. They attend 'stay and play' sessions led by staff and receive speech and language information packs. This helps parents to support their children's talking and learning at home.

Staff ensure that children play outdoors each day. Children challenge their physical skills as they move in different ways across the tyres. Children run and kick balls showing incredible accuracy.

They also concentrate well as they practise their catching skills. However, at times, some staff limit the curriculum outdoors. For example, they focus on children's physical skills and do not consistently encourage children's development in the other areas of learning.

Staff sequence the curriculum for children's independence especially well. Babies learn to feed themselves using a spoon and drink from feeder cups. Younger children drink from open cups and use 'easy to hold' cutlery.

Older children use trays and drink from glasses. The cook provides nutritious home-cooked meals using fresh seasonal vegetables. Children's individual dietary needs are catered for very well.

Children show good imagination. They concentrate well on using dough to make pizzas. They carefully roll the dough flat and pretend to cook it in the play oven.

Children confidently state, 'I've made a pizza,' and share it with staff and their friends. Staff help them to count how many pieces they need and support their understanding of simple fractions. Children develop their understanding of 'halves' and 'quarters'.

Staff read stories to children using an expressive voice. Children enjoy listening to stories about tigers. They display their memory as they talk confidently about the foods that the tiger ate.

Children know that the person who writes stories is called an author. Staff share low-cost ideas with parents to help all children feel included and become their favourite characters on World Book Day.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The leader and managers implement robust recruitment, induction and supervision procedures to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and understand their role. All staff are registered with the Disclosure and Barring Service to keep their suitability updated. Staff are well trained in safeguarding children.

They understand their role and the procedure to follow should they have concerns about a child's welfare or the behaviour of a colleague. All staff hold paediatric first-aid qualifications. This enables them to respond to any accidents swiftly.

The manager initiates fire evacuations at unexpected times. This helps to ensure that all staff and children know what to do in the event of an emergency.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nensure that staff consistently give children the time they need to think and respond to the questions they ask strengthen teaching in the outdoors to maximise children's learning across all areas of the curriculum.