Carols Kidz Care

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show that they feel safe and secure at the setting. This is demonstrated through the relationships they form with the trusted adults and the friendships they form with each other. Children laugh as they hold hands during song-time sessions. For instance, they sit opposite each other and 'row' back and forth during familiar nursery rhymes. Children benefit from a curriculum that helps them to prepare for future learning. They can make independent choices in their play and have access to a wide range of resources. All children engage well in group activities, including carving real pumpkins and using glue as they stick materials to create collage pictures.

Children demonstrate good physical skills. For instance, they climb over tyres and crates in the outside area. Children laugh as staff gentle push them on swings, and other children race around on bikes and scooters. Children develop good early mark-making skills. They create patterns with their fingertips in large trays of coloured rice. Children concentrate, as they attach pegs onto pictures of spiders. They count how many legs their spiders have. Children show good levels of confidence and self-esteem. They smile and clap when they achieve their chosen tasks, such as completing large-scale jigsaw puzzles.

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

• The manager and staff have worked hard since the previous inspection and made improvements to the quality of the setting. This includes working in collaboration with the local authority to complete focused action plans to target areas of development. The manager and staff have completed training. This includes completing long-running projects, such as promoting good oral health at the setting. Children are involved in growing their own fruit and vegetables and learning about healthy choices. Children brush their teeth and staff work closely with parents to help to ensure all children are registered with a dentist.
• Parents speak highly of the setting. They comment that their children are eager to come to nursery. The manager and staff invite parents into the setting for meetings in relation to their children's learning and development. Furthermore, they send parents newsletters and update online-learning records, to help provide a consistent approach to children's learning and development. Parents state that they are aware of what their children are learning at the setting and how they can extend this at home.
• Staff encourage children to look for letters during group activities. They talk to children about the different letters they have found. However, staff do not pronounce the letters correctly. This means that children do not learn the correct sounds in order for them to blend letters and sounds together when they eventually move to school.
• Children listen attentively as staff read familiar stories. They call out together with repeated words and phrases. Babies show an interest in story books. They access a range of stories and listen as staff talk about what they can see. This helps to promote children's communication skills.
• The manager completes supervision sessions for staff. She identifies training needs and involves staff in making improvements at the setting. The manager promotes the team's well-being and works alongside staff to offer coaching and mentoring support.
• Children show that they understand the nursery routine. For example, they line up ready to put on their coats ahead of outdoor play. However, staff do not provide children with enough time to finish off their play before announcing the next part of the daily routine.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported to make good progress in their learning. Staff work with external professionals and parents to identify what children need to learn next. Staff liaise with schools and other early years providers where children attend. They share information and invite teachers into the setting before children move on to school. This helps to provide a continued approach to children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review adult-led activities and ensure that the correct letter sounds are used to help children to prepare for future learning
• provide children with enough time to finish off their play and learning before announcing the next stage in the daily routine.