NGCA Ducklings Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children enter the pre-school excitedly and quickly engage in play with their friends. They part from their parents and carers confidently, say good bye and begin their pre-school day. Children are keen and enthusiastic learners from the minute they enter the pre-school.

They are inquisitive and ask staff questions about how things work. Staff are highly skilled and respond to their questions proficiently. They pose new questions to inspire and challenge the children's ideas and thinking even further.

Children are extremely well behaved and they show high levels of respect for each other and for staff. They are ...exceptionally kind and caring. Children understand the pre-school's rules and follow them proficiently.

For example, when staff show them an amber dot and display it on the wall, they know that they have a few minutes to prepare for the next activity or routine. When staff display a red dot, children quickly leave their task and join their friends on the carpet area. Children confidently tell staff they are present when the register is read out and choose a different language to say 'hello' each day.

Children make rapid and sustained progress from their starting points. They are superbly supported by their key person, who is extremely knowledgeable about their individual care and learning needs.

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

Parents speak extremely highly of the pre-school staff.

Some comment that they have had a number of their children attend the pre-school and many of the staff have remained at the setting over this long period. They comment that the strong and stable staff team helps them to feel confident that their children are being cared for by dedicated people.Staff inspire children to develop their speech and language skills through a wide range of initiatives.

They precisely tailor their approach to the individual child's needs and introduce new words and vocabulary to extend children's thinking. Staff are highly skilled at asking challenging and purposeful questions to enhance children's learning and thinking skills.Children are extremely well prepared for their next stage of learning.

Key persons meticulously monitor and track children's progress. This helps them to identify swiftly any gaps in children's learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are expertly supported.

Staff work extremely effectively with other agencies and professionals to support individual children.Children delight in exploring mathematical concepts in all aspects of their play. For example, they count proficiently, understand simple calculation and demonstrate their excellent understanding of numbers and shapes.

Staff provide interesting resources to enhance children's mathematical knowledge, some of which reflect the resources they will use when they move to school.Children's self-esteem and confidence are expertly promoted by staff, who speak to children in a clear and extremely positive way. Staff help children to celebrate achievements and special moments in their life.

For example, they or the child's parents complete a 'proud cloud' with meaningful information about what the child has achieved. This information is relayed to the rest of the children and staff during the registration and group times, and they all celebrate with a round of applause. The cloud is then displayed on the wall for all to see.

Children develop a great love of books. They have an extensive range of books to look at during their pre-school day. They also borrow books from the pre-school library to take home and share with their family.

Staff are expertly supported by the management committee and team. They meet regularly with the supervisor to discuss and review their practices, to discuss individual children and to identify any training needs. Staff improve and update their childcare knowledge continuously, for example, they attend a wide range of training opportunities.

The supervisor is involved in a steering group, which provides excellent opportunities for her to work in close partnership with local schools and other early years settings.A parents' committee helps to raise much-needed funds to support the ongoing and continuous development of the pre-school. Parents on this committee also willingly assist with practical matters, such as re-painting the pre-school room to keep it fresh and clean.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Managers and staff demonstrate extremely robust knowledge of their responsibilities with regards to protecting children. They all show comprehensive knowledge of the types of abuse and the indicators that might alert them to the fact that a child is being abused or mistreated.

Managers and staff have a clear knowledge of the action they should take if they are concerned about a child's welfare or safety. The management committee undertakes thorough suitability checks when recruiting new staff to ensure that all adults working with or coming into contact with the children are suitable to do so. New staff complete an extensive induction programme to help them to understand fully the pre-school's safeguarding policies and procedures.

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