Dukes and Duchesses

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

All children are making exceptional progress in this outstanding provision. Leaders work tirelessly with parents, staff and professionals to ensure that the needs of every child are met, particularly the most vulnerable. This bespoke level of care helps children to thrive and develop extremely positive attitudes to learning.

Family is an integral part of the provision. The walls are decorated with photos of key people from both staff and children's lives. This ignites conversation about family, cultures and traditions.

This excellent integration of the world beyond the provision creates an extension with home li...fe. Consequently, children are happy and secure, demonstrating a strong sense of belonging. Staff interactions with both the children and each other are superb.

This is enhanced by all staff using their in-depth knowledge of children to consistently plan challenging experiences that build on children's learning. Children demonstrate high levels of curiosity and motivation as they play. This is further promoted by staff expertly using words of encouragement and praise.

This helps children develop a can-do attitude leading to them achieving their absolute best. Staff skilfully encourage children to acknowledge and explore their feelings. Children show high levels of self-control.

When challenging behaviour arises, staff use clear communication to help children make sense of their emotions and think about their choices. As a result, children of all ages display exemplary behaviour.

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

Leaders are inspirational and ambitious.

They use regular supervision to champion staff to extend and upskill their practice through research and training. Many staff have undertaken graduate study, and they demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of early years education. Consequently, the quality of education is exceptionally strong throughout the provision.

Working in partnership, and collaborating in city projects, is engrained within the ethos of the provision. Staff and leaders describe the importance of helping children to make a positive contribution to their environment. They are active participants in local initiatives with charities, museums and city cultural celebrations.

This helps children gain a deep understanding of where they live and the wider world.Leaders and staff use their astute understanding, of barriers and issues some local children and their families face, to plan a curriculum that helps close gaps in children's learning. Recently, all staff members have accessed training to skilfully promote children's emerging language and communication skills.

Staff also work very closely with families who speak English as an additional language. They work to nurture and celebrate the uniqueness of each child. Children beam with pride as staff share phrases from their home language.

Consequently, all children are expressive and confident communicators.The award-winning nursery is held in the highest regard by early years professionals. It frequently shares its outstanding practice with other provisions.

Parents are also highly complimentary. They provide countless examples of the excellent care and education their children receive and how the provision has helped shape their children into 'the best individuals they can be'. Parents reflect on the regular 'come and play' sessions and describe how invaluable they have been in helping them to understand how to support their child's development through play.

Children of all ages demonstrate high levels of involvement. Children explore the environment with awe, making open-ended resources into towers, aeroplanes and dinosaur prints. Staff skilfully intervene when required, modelling ways to instil creativity and imagination.

Each area of the provision is a hive of activity with children engaging in meaningful learning. Practices such as these promote deep-level learning and thinking, contributing to long-term memory development.Staff use excellent strategies to build on children's learning to help them make connections and promote logical thinking.

Babies become absorbed as staff use animated voices and props to share stories. Younger children use drum beats to sound out the syllables of their name. Older children become increasingly confident with letters and sounds.

They enthusiastically discuss who their next 'mystery reader' will be and what story they might share.Children's physical health is extremely well promoted. To further support core stability and upper body strength, the indoor environment has been expertly planned to encourage children to stretch, balance, reach and climb.

Trips to parks and forest school allow children to explore, exercise their large muscles and experiment with wildlife. These experiences are also fully utilised to help children build their resilience and learn how to keep themselves safe outdoors.Key staff work sensitively with parents to help children settle in and move up to the next room.

Recently, pre-school staff have visited local schools to enhance the already remarkable strategies in place to support children's eventual move to school. These extra measures result in children securing the necessary skills for their next stage of learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and staff demonstrate a thorough understanding of their roles and responsibilities in protecting children from harm. Safeguarding children is given utmost priority and is underpinned by highly effective partnership working. Staff access regular safeguarding training to ensure their knowledge is current.

They confidently describe potential signs that might indicate that a child is at risk. Leaders and staff have a secure knowledge of local referral procedures to follow should concern for a child's well-being arise. To ensure staff suitability, highly robust recruitment procedures are in place followed by a rigorous induction period.