Goddard Park Day Care Centre

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children feel safe and secure in this deeply caring day care.

They form strong attachments to staff, who are affectionate and nurturing. Staff encourage babies to explore the world around them. For example, babies feel rough sticks and let mud run through their fingers.

They splash in the water tray and climb and scramble. They sway and dance to familiar songs that staff sing as they play. Staff follow home routines for personal care, which they conduct with warmth and respect.

Children become engrossed in a wealth of fascinating and highly challenging activities and experiences, which staff expertly pr...ovide. Older children are curious and make their own discoveries, such as finding that seeds will float to the surface if they put too much water in the pot. Children are confident and impressively independent, serving and clearing away their own lunch, for example.

Children make exceptional progress. They start school with the skills and knowledge they need, and a real thirst for learning.Staff are highly alert to children's interests and changing emotions.

From the earliest age, staff teach children how to express themselves, using words, pictures, and gestures. Children feel valued because they know adults listen to them and understand. Staff teach them ways to manage their strong emotions.

Staff are understanding of children's individual needs, such as if they need to get up and move around before returning to concentrate at an activity. Children are kind, helpful and behave exceptionally well.

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

Leaders are ambitious for children and staff.

The inspirational manager involves staff in researching how children learn best. Leaders target professional development opportunities for staff and encourage them to gain additional qualifications and take on specialist roles. They use additional funding effectively to support children's development.

This contributes well to the progress children make in their learning.The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected many families. This has led to a substantial number of children entering day care with slower than expected development, especially in language and social skills.

Leaders prioritise additional adult support for these children to help them catch up by the time they start school.Staff focus strongly on developing children's communication and language. They model and explain key words, so that children talk increasingly confidently about what they are doing and recall past events.

For example, children explain how they have 'cracked the husk to get the seed' and how there are 'cats on the track' of their imaginary railway. All children learn and use simple signing, which especially helps those who have difficulty communicating.The provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is excellent and these children make the best possible progress.

The manager has forged strong links with other professionals and works tirelessly to ensure children and families receive the support they need.Staff share a wealth of information with parents about their children's progress and well-being. Parents sing the praise of the manager and her staff.

One parent said, 'I cannot thank them enough for all they have done for my child.' Another, speaking of how staff managed her child's medical condition, said 'I trust them completely.' The curriculum for physical development is ambitious.

Babies and children are physically active. Staff expertly use the play area and extensive school grounds to develop children's strength, coordination and physical health. Children learn to assess risks and their own capabilities.

For example, as they roll down slopes and climb trees.Children have wonderful opportunities to learn about the natural world. They grow flowers and are fascinated to watch bees collecting nectar and pollen, saying they know that 'they are making honey'.

The children harvest and eat the vegetables that they have grown. Enthusiastic staff ignite children's thirst for learning and maximise every learning opportunity. For example, when children are looking at birds, staff suggest making some play binoculars.

Staff embrace diversity and celebrate the different cultural backgrounds of staff and children. Staff provide rich and varied experiences to broaden children's knowledge of the world and communities beyond their own. For example, they learn words from different languages, including sign language.

They hear stories, taste foods, and celebrate festivals from other cultures.The manager has a deep understanding of the community that the day care serves. She recognises the pressures that parents may experience, which can affect children's well-being.

She does all she can to assist these families and help them access services that can offer support.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders and staff make children's safety and well-being their main priority.

The safeguarding team has an in-depth understanding of child protection issues. They ensure that staff are alert to the signs and know how to recognise when children may be at risk of harm. Staff confidently follow the correct procedures if they have concerns.

Leaders collaborate closely with other agencies to help keep children safe, and access early help for families when needed. Staff meet the individual needs of children brilliantly, such as medical or dietary requirements and care plans. Staff conduct rigorous risk assessments to promote children's safety and welfare.

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