Red River Kindergarten

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Children are incredibly content and feel very secure in this warm and nurturing kindergarten. Staff work extremely closely with parents to settle their children. They get to know and understand the children exceptionally well.

This means they care and support each individual child very effectively.Children are eager to learn. They explore activities in the beautiful, natural and inspirational indoor and outdoor environments.

They learn about themselves and the world in a deep and meaningful way. Staff follow the Waldorf Steiner approach and carefully plan and design a rich and well-sequenced curriculum that allo...ws children to be the best they can. For example, children take part in group circle time.

They all learn songs about spring and growing wheat. They develop their physical coordination as they add actions to these songs. Afterwards, children grind wheat and make bread.

They relish the opportunity to learn through all their senses. Children develop language skills quickly. For instance, they talk with confidence and increasing fluency about enclosures for animals, as they build structures.

Children learn to manage risk independently. Outside, they climb mounds of earth and create space rockets using large planks of wood and sieves.Children have deep respect for each other, as staff model respect incredibly well.

Staff skilfully support children to understand and manage their feelings. They help children to consider the feelings of others and provide them with rich language to support this.

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

Children of all ages make excellent progress.

Younger children learn letter sounds and new words rapidly. Older children learn to spell and write their name and other familiar words. Children develop language for maths as staff expertly thread it through activities.

For example, children count two socks. Staff tell them it is half the number that they need and give them time to work out the correct amount. Children develop a deep understanding of colours.

For instance, they paint with blue and yellow water colours and understand they can make green for grass when they mix them together.Children have wonderful opportunities to develop healthy lifestyles and understand the importance of healthy choices. They explore the garden with all of their senses.

They love the fresh air and develop their physical skills as they run, climb, dig and carry. They work cooperatively as they use their imagination to create a shop. Children draw detailed pictures of food choices on blackboards.

Staff sensitively support as needed. They offer suggestions to extend children's thinking and ideas. Children help prepare healthy snacks and learn to cook familiar recipes.

The manager and staff work closely together to ensure all children achieve the best outcomes, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff are extremely knowledgeable about how children learn. They carefully observe and assess each child.

They know each child's next steps and support them extremely well to make progress and succeed. Staff expertly challenge each child during activities. For example, children make bread rolls and snip the bread, holding and using scissors independently and effectively.

Children persist until they achieve the effect they want and thrive on the encouragement and praise that staff give them.The manager works very closely with outside agencies. This is to ensure that the curriculum they offer meets the needs of all children, especially those who may need extra support.

The manager and staff work closely with the local authority, to ensure all areas of the early years foundation stage are threaded through their practice and ethos.Partnerships with parents and carers are exceptional. Parents praise the kindergarten and staff highly.

They comment on their children's excellent progress and commend the effective communication regarding this. Staff share information that really helps parents to support their children's learning at home. This is because parents have a deeper understanding of all aspects of what their children are learning.

The manager and staff are passionate about providing children with high-quality experiences. They display genuine commitment to their work with children. They conscientiously evaluate their curriculum to ensure it meets the needs of all the children.

Staff attend regular training to ensure their knowledge is up to date.Staff support children's independence and sense of responsibility very effectively. They encourage children to work together and to take part in all of the well-designed routines.

Staff adapt activities skilfully to meet the needs of the different ages of children. Children wash up and clear away paints and brushes when they finish painting. They help to look after the plants and fruit trees in the garden, working together to water them.

Children behave exceptionally well. They know what is expected of them and know that staff care deeply about them.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff fully understand their responsibility to keep children safe from harm. The manager has extremely effective systems to ensure that staff's knowledge is up to date. Staff have a clear understanding of a wide range of safeguarding issues, including child exploitation.

Staff follow the highly effective policies and procedures in place, recording and reporting any concerns they may have regarding children's welfare. Robust risk assessments are implemented thoroughly by all staff, to keep children safe and free from harm while they are at the setting. The manager uses rigorous systems to ensure staff's suitability to work with children.