Caterpillas Under Fives

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy coming to this warm and friendly nursery. They settle quickly and are familiar with the daily routines. Staff are kind and gentle with children. They offer cuddles and soothing words, which are particularly beneficial for those children who are new and very young. Children build confidence in their environment, which makes them feel safe and secure and ready to learn. Children form strong attachments with staff. They form good friendships with their peers and show they are happy and motivated to learn.

Staff know the children and their families well and form close partnerships with parents to support individual children's learning. They plan an ambitious curriculum for all children to address any gaps in their learning. For example, they follow the interests of the children to extend their learning. Children who speak English as an additional language and those who need support with their communication and language development make good progress from their starting points.

Babies explore the outdoor area. They learn to climb, walk and use push-along bikes. Non-mobile babies explore the ball pond, showing curiosity at the shape and colours. Toddlers delight as they explore the lentils and develop their hand-eye coordination. Younger children develop their finger muscles as they pick up and count small balls. Older toddlers use tweezers to extend this activity. The older children are able to recall their learning and talk about how a seed grows into a pumpkin. This helps them begin to understand the natural world.

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

• Effective systems ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are swiftly identified and fully supported. Skilled and knowledgeable staff work closely with parents and external professionals to create tailored plans and adapt teaching to meet individual needs. Additional funding is used strategically to enhance staffing, resources and the environment, ensuring that support is sharply focused and consistent. As a result, children with SEND benefit from an inclusive environment and make good progress from their starting points alongside their peers.
• Parents comment that their children have developed their communication skills since attending. They state that their children make friends and play more confidently with others. Parents value the daily communication from the setting and the information they receive on how to support their children's learning at home.
• Leaders and staff offer a rich curriculum for physical development, both indoors and outdoors. Children have continuous access to a large, new and well-developed outdoor area. They use various mark-making tools and dig in the sand. Children develop strength, control and confidence in their movements.
• Staff provide healthy meals for children and promote their independence. They deploy themselves well to support younger children to learn skills such as using cutlery. Children understand the routines to follow. Staff teach children to wash their hands prior to mealtimes and how to put their own coats on before going outside.
• Leaders observe staff in their practice and identify strengths and areas for improvement. This helps staff improve their teaching skills. They undertake courses and share learning with colleagues in team meetings. Children benefit from good quality interactions and consistent teaching approaches.
• Staff understand how children learn. They assess children accurately and use this information to identify children's next steps. Staff take into consideration children's interests and plan experiences and activities that encourage the children to explore, investigate and be curious.
• Children's speech and language development is well supported. Staff consistently model and extend children's language by introducing new vocabulary during play and routines. They use effective prompts to support children learning English as an additional language and incorporate visual aids and sign language into their practice to enhance communication for all learners.
• Staff generally manage children's behaviour well. They support children to take turns and share with others. However, staff do not yet help children to understand their own emotions or recognise and express how they are feeling.
• Children have good opportunities to explore, both inside and outside, following their own interests. They also take part in small- and large-group adult-led activities to extend their learning. However, sometimes, large-group sessions become noisy and take too long, so children become distracted and lose interest, which impacts on their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop their understanding of how to help children recognise, express and regulate their emotions, so that children are able to manage their feelings independently
• explore ways to adapt large-group activities to ensure children fully engage with the learning at these times.