Charlie Bears Childcare Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at this welcoming nursery happy and ready to learn. They separate from their parents and carers with ease. Staff seek a range of information from parents about children's care and learning needs at the start of the day. This helps children settle quickly and ensures that they receive consistent support. Children form trusting bonds with their key person. Babies happily move from parents into staff's waiting arms. Older children excitedly run to greet their key person with a big cuddle. These positive relationships help children feel secure and give them confidence to join in with the activities on offer. Children display positive attitudes to learning. They concentrate well, cooperate with their friends and are confident to join in with new experiences.

Staff plan the curriculum to support children's curiosity and build on what they already know and can do. Babies develop the strength they need for rolling and crawling as staff encourage them to lie on their tummies, reach for toys and practise turning their head. Older children refine their physical skills. They climb on apparatus, balance carefully on see-saws and ride on push-along bicycles with control. Staff support children's communication and language skills well. They engage children in meaningful conversations to extend their learning in the moment. For example, they ask them to think about how to balance the see-saw. Staff encourage children to use their imagination and model rich language, describing the see-saw's movement as 'like a boat in the ocean'. Children respond and use this new vocabulary. They make links to their own experiences, such as when they went on a ship with their family.

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

• Leaders ensure that staff understand their roles, responsibilities and the nursery's policies and procedures through a thorough induction when they begin. They hold regular supervision meetings and provide training that builds staff's skills and confidence, while also gathering feedback to support their well-being. Leaders set high expectations and use staff meetings effectively to focus on children's needs, ensuring high-quality care and learning across the nursery.
• Staff build strong partnerships with parents and carers. They share daily updates and use digital platforms to communicate assessments, photos and learning experiences. Staff offer sensitive support with key milestones, such as potty training and social development. Parents comments are highly complimentary. They praise the nursery's warmth, professionalism and genuine care for their children.
• Staff recognise and value children's individuality. They use words from their home language to greet them and plan activities to celebrate their cultural identity. In response to a recent parent survey, staff introduced daily community walks to enable children to visit local shops, observe animals and explore their surroundings, enhancing their understanding of the world around them.
• Staff respond to children's care needs gently and sensitively. They use daily routines to promote meaningful interactions and develop vocabulary. For example, flashcards are displayed by the changing table to reinforce key words and promote conversation. Staff provide children with a calm and relaxing sleep area. Children settle quickly and sleep soundly. Staff sit with them as they sleep and complete regular physical checks to ensure their safety.
• Children learn to manage their behaviour effectively because staff provide consistent routines, praise their efforts and achievements and set clear expectations. They offer gentle reminders, such as to use 'walking feet' indoors to help children stay safe and follow routines.
• Staff place a strong focus on developing children's early literacy and language skills through engaging story and song times. Children join in with repeated phrases and act out parts of familiar stories, for example, moving their bodies as they pretend to go through the 'swishy, swashy grass'. However, on occasions, some children's learning is disrupted because staff interrupt them to complete routine tasks, such as toileting or handwashing. This affects children's focus and reduces the impact of teaching.
• Staff provide some opportunities for children to develop independence. For example, they encourage them to put on their shoes for outdoor play and cut pieces of banana to share with their peers at snack time. However, at times, staff complete tasks that children can do for themselves, for example, pumping the hand soap, turning on taps and spoon-feeding children who are capable of feeding themselves. This limits children's chances to practise self-care skills and build confidence in managing tasks independently.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to minimise interruptions during group activities so that children sustain focus and remain fully engaged in their learning
• increase opportunities for children to complete tasks independently, so they develop self-care skills, confidence and independence in everyday routines.