Cheeky Chimps Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and enter the nursery confidently. They quickly settle into the familiar routines. Staff know the children well and continually build on the children's knowledge and skills. For example, staff support the children as they learn to use plastic knives to cut fruit. Children enjoy learning new skills and are becoming increasingly independent.

Staff encourage children to develop an early appreciation and love of books. Children enjoy choosing their favourite books and sit in cosy areas to listen to stories. Staff engage in lots of dialogue with children, and this helps to promote children's early language skills. For instance, staff talk to the children about what they remember from the story and what they think might happen next.

Staff promote children's physical development well. Those working with babies know how to encourage them to reach, pull themselves up and gain their balance as they get ready for walking. For example, babies are supported to pull themselves up to stand at the sand tray. Staff provide older children with a range of activities to develop their strength and coordination. For instance, children have great fun as they push each other on the large swing and balance on the beams and logs. This supports children to make good progress in their physical development.

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

• The leadership team, consisting of the provider, manager and deputy manager, is committed to continuously developing the nursery. The leaders are highly motivated and work well with the staff to review and make ongoing improvements. For example, they have recently rearranged the environment in each room to improve how they meet the needs of all children. This has had a positive impact on children's behaviour and overall development.
• The manager and deputy manager have constructed an effective curriculum, which most staff understand well. As part of the curriculum, staff plan activities that focus on children's social and emotional development and their communication skills. For example, they provide children with opportunities to engage in role play with their friends. While staff know their key children well, some staff are less confident about what children need to learn next. This limits staff's ability to specifically build this learning into activities as part of the curriculum.
• The leadership team and staff set high expectations for children's behaviour. Children learn to share and take turns with minimal support. For example, children take turns using the swing and tell their friends when it is their turn. They excitedly help their friends to sit on the swing. Children are praised throughout the day for their positive behaviour. As a result, children know what is expected of them and are well behaved.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have tailored support to help them to make progress. The leadership team and staff identify children with SEND through their assessments and discussions with parents. They work with parents and other professionals to ensure children's needs are met and a suitable curriculum is in place. For instance, staff have completed sign language training to support children with speech and language delay.
• Parents are extremely happy with the nursery and say how well supported they feel. Children's learning and development are shared with parents regularly. Parents report how they can see the good progress their children are making. However, not all parents are clear on who their child's key person is or the role of the key person.
• Staff have regular supervisions and feel well supported. The leadership team is passionate about continuously building on practice. Staff are strongly encouraged to undertake ongoing training. The leadership team provides staff with effective coaching and mentoring. This has a positive effect on the standard of teaching provided.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to use their assessments of children's progress to focus more precisely on what they want children to learn next
• build further on relationships with parents to ensure all parents know who their child's key person is and understand the role of the key person.