Amazing Grace Early Years Childcare - Hunslet

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children demonstrate that they are happy and feel safe in this very welcoming, inclusive nursery. They arrive happy and keen to join their friends in their play. Children show a real interest in what staff provide, and spend a long time engaged in their chosen activities. Older children talk confidently to staff and describe what they are doing. They demonstrate good small physical skills as they use scissors to snip the play dough. They use skills that they have learned, such as rolling the play dough in their hands to create balls.

Friendships have formed and children work together on chosen tasks. They confidently choose and select toys for themselves and engage in conversation with staff and their friends while they play. Older children engage in role play together. They use their good language skills while they pretend to be mummies for their baby dolls. They develop storylines with their friends, such as taking their babies to the park and the beach for a picnic. Babies enjoy exploring the musical instruments and creating sounds as they bang the drums with their hands and other objects. Older children enjoy drawing and practise writing. Children thoroughly enjoy outdoor play. They relish the opportunity to expend their energy, for example when playing games like hide and seek.

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

• Staff observe and assess children's development and have a good understanding of what they want them to learn. They help children to develop the skills they need for future learning. Staff focus strongly on supporting children's communication and language, including children who speak English as an additional language. For example, they read stories and teach children nursery rhymes and songs with actions.
• The enthusiastic leadership team ensures that staff benefit from regular meetings to discuss their practice and training needs. Staff speak positively about the support they receive. Members of the leadership team have systems in place to monitor staff practice. However, they have not fully considered how best to support less experienced staff to consistently challenge and further extend children's learning and development.
• Staff prioritise children's personal and emotional development. For example, from the outset, key persons work with children and their parents to establish those initial bonds, which evolve to include all staff. This gives the children confidence to approach staff, knowing that they will receive reassurance, support and help when needed.
• Children with emerging and identified additional needs receive good support. Staff place a strong emphasis on identifying gaps in children's learning and development. They work in close partnership with parents and other professionals to put plans in place to help the children to reach their full potential.
• Children learn to count, recognise numbers and use mathematical language. However, staff do not always provide enough opportunities for the older and most-able children to practise and strengthen their knowledge of counting and calculation when opportunities arise in their play.
• Staff working with babies and younger children provide a nurturing environment where they engage children in their learning and early conversations. They respond to their babbling sounds, repeating and emphasising words that then become familiar to them.
• Staff promote children's awareness of their personal hygiene skills throughout the day. They place a clear focus on teaching children about keeping safe. For example, staff provide children with gentle reminders about the importance of walking indoors. Children behave well. Staff act as good role models and offer frequent praise and encouragement. Children learn to share, take turns and play cooperatively.
• Children show an awareness of each other and themselves. Staff know about children's home lives and cultures, and celebrate their uniqueness. There is a strong sense of community at the inclusive and welcoming nursery. In turn, this helps children to develop a sense of their own identity.
• Parents are extremely happy with the service provided. They speak highly of the care and education their children receive, and appreciate how happy and settled their children are. Parents comment that staff keep them well informed. For example, staff provide details of their children's day and what they have enjoyed doing, and how they can access their children's learning journal.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support less-confident staff to use the highest-quality interactions with children to help challenge their learning and build on what they already know and can do
• extend opportunities for the older and most-able children to practise their counting and early calculation skills.