A Star Kids Nursery Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children behave very well because staff have high expectations of how they should behave. On the rare occasion that children demonstrate challenging behaviour, staff quickly remind them of the rules in the nursery. For example, when children throw a toy in the garden, staff remind them not to throw and politely ask them to place it back gently. Children respond positively, quickly picking up the toy and placing it back where it should be.

Leaders design and implement the curriculum well. They ensure that staff consider what they want children to learn during the activities they provide. This helps all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to make good progress in their learning and development. Staff extend children's learning through thoughtful interactions with all children. Children are fully engaged in their learning throughout their time at the nursery. Relationships between staff and children are warm and respectful.

The nursery has an ethos of 'every child being a talker'. Children have lots of opportunities to develop their early communication skills. This supports children to develop into confident talkers. When children speak more than one language, staff learn key words in their home languages. Staff use sign language to support children's understanding while they are developing their spoken English.

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

• Leaders are aware of the many strengths within the nursery and any areas for development. More experienced staff demonstrate high-quality storytelling, which makes children excited about books and reading. Children are fully engaged in the story and are excited to engage in group discussions. While less experienced staff benefit from very positive role models for good practice, this has not yet had the desired impact on the consistency of quality of interactions with children across the nursery.
• Children are very keen to learn because staff make their learning fun. Staff teach children to use mathematical language confidently. They introduce children to concepts such as 'past', 'present' and 'future' through their everyday routines. For example, during morning circle time, staff talk to children about 'next' month and that it will be Christmas in December. They explain to children about 'yesterday' and 'today', talking about the numbers in the dates of each day.
• Children learn about oral hygiene. They tell staff they need to only put on 'a pea size of toothpaste'. Children talk about how the food they eat can help affect their teeth. They confidently suggest different fruit and vegetables which are healthy to eat. Children enjoy spending time outside in the fresh air in the nursery's garden, where they have the chance to further progress their physical development. For example, they climb or ride on bicycles, as well as playing games with their friends and staff.
• For most of the day, staff promote children's independence skills. Children can confidently put their coats on and ask for help if they need to fasten the zip. They wipe their noses for themselves and check in the mirror that their faces are clean. However, at mealtimes, staff do things which children could do for themselves. For example, at lunchtime, they take children's food out of their lunch boxes, rather than letting them practise the skills of unzipping their lunch box and removing the food for themselves. This reduces opportunities for children to extend their independence skills.
• Parents are very happy with the care their children receive at the nursery. Parents of children with SEND value the impact the nursery has had on their child's development at home. Staff use an online learning journey which parents can contribute to. This keeps parents well informed about their child's day and the progress they are making. It also gives staff an insight into what children are doing when they are with their families.
• Staff feel well supported by leaders at the nursery. They feel that their well-being is a priority and that they can speak to leaders if they need support. Staff are supported to undertake further training to support their practice and career development. New staff feel supported through the probation period and speak positively about their induction into the nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to embed professional development opportunities for all staff to enhance their already good teaching skills to a consistently outstanding level throughout the nursery
• maximise opportunities for children to practise their independence skills at mealtimes.