Big Kids Little Kids Nursery and out of School Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet children and parents warmly on arrival. This supports children to feel safe and secure. Staff gain information from parents about children's care and learning needs when they start at the setting. This helps staff to develop strong bonds with children, which has a positive impact on children's well-being and emotional development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are particularly well supported at this setting, and staff have high expectations for all children.

Children behave well and staff teach them the importance of being respectful to others, to share and take their turn. Staff help them to develop the social skills they need to play together. Children receive praise for their efforts and achievements. This develops their self-esteem and motivates them to continue to persevere at their chosen task.

During lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic, staff worked closely with children and parents. They sent regular emails and if parents needed any shopping the provider delivered packs to them. Staff supported parents with any behavioural difficulties that their children displayed and provided resources to help. Ideas for activities were shared on social media and activity packs provided for parents to continue their children's learning at home.

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

• The management team, including the provider, have a good understanding of what they want children to learn and experience at the setting. They understand how children's learning develops over time as they progress through the setting. For example, staff support babies to learn to walk and to reach and grasp toys. Toddler room staff support children with speech and language development and to take account of each other. However, there are occasions where staff do not use the correct pronunciation for some words. For example, they talk to children about a 'nee naw' when an emergency vehicle goes past with its siren on.
• The management make good use of additional funding to ensure children meet their planned targets and make good progress. For example, staff provide one- to-one support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Management prioritises staff mental health and well-being. They provide plenty of opportunities for them to not only continue their professional development but to discuss work, life and themselves.
• Children enjoy stories. They snuggle up with staff and listen to their favourite book being read. Children listen closely as staff read stories enthusiastically. Children repeat familiar words, showing they are familiar with the story. This promotes children's listening and literacy skills well.
• Parents are very happy with the care provided to their children and say that their children enjoy attending. They fully appreciate the efforts of staff to support children and their family. Parents comment that staff share information about their children's progress and help them to understand what they can do next to help development at home. They say that the setting is like a family.
• Children have frequent opportunities to learn about the wider community during trips to local shops and parks. Visits have also been made to the local mosque and church, so that children learn about different faiths. They join in with festivals, such as Harvest Festival at the church.
• Children enjoy nourishing freshly prepared meals and snacks with their friends and staff. The provider ensures that children receive a healthy, balanced diet. Staff help young children to learn to eat independently and, as they get older, to help themselves to water when they need to. However, occasionally, good hygiene procedures are not followed. For example, babies' dummies are not washed or sterilised when they fall on the floor, before they are used again.
• Management has a clear vision for the setting. Self-evaluation is effective, and identifies clear intentions for the future. They monitor staff through frequent observation of them working with the children. This means they are able to identify any weaknesses in practice and help staff to raise the quality of their teaching.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure that equipment used for babies is clean and safe for them, such as dummies when they get dropped on the floor
• support staff to develop consistency when modelling language, to help young children to hear and use the correct pronunciation of words.