Children 1st @ Shepshed

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show positive relationships with staff. For instance, when staff play a game of peekaboo with very young children, they copy staff and give them good eye contact and smiles.

Staff implement a curriculum that focuses on supporting children's communication and language skills. Very young children hear staff singing songs that introduce new words for them to learn and copy. Younger children share books with staff. They point to and name images on the pages. Older children use new words in their play, such as 'obsessed'. Staff help them to understand what the word means and how to use it in a sentence. This contributes to children understanding how to use the word in context. Furthermore, staff share books with children to help them understand feelings and emotions. Children link colours to different emotions, identifying that red is for anger. Older children say that if they are angry, they could manage this by counting to 10 and taking some deep breaths.

When children hold conversations with staff and their peers, they are supported by staff to listen to the views of others and take turns to speak. For instance, older children put their hands up to answer questions staff ask them. This helps children learn skills in readiness for their move on to school.

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

• Staff offer children a wide range of snacks and meals to help promote a healthy diet. Staff help children to learn where fruit and vegetables grow. Children are supported to understand that foods make them big and strong.
• Staff help children to learn about the world around them. For instance, staff show and talk to younger children about lady birds they find in a tree. Younger children stop what they are doing when they hear a helicopter in the sky. Staff show younger children a toy helicopter and explain how the propellors spin around, helping to build on their learning.
• Staff promote children's safety well. For instance, they remind older children to hold onto the banister when they move down stairs. Children learn how to promote their own safety. Staff talk to children about not talking to strangers and to stay close to their parents when they are away from the nursery.
• Staff are supported with their practice and well-being. For instance, they attend staff meetings that help them to develop their knowledge of the newly implemented curriculum. This helps to provide consistency across the staff team. Part of this curriculum includes supporting children to follow their interests so they are more engaged in learning.
• Overall, partnerships with parents are effective. Staff share with parents their children's achievements and care routines. However, not all parents receive the same support from staff to help them build further on their children's learning at home.
• Staff promote positive behaviour. For example, they sing a song with younger children before they eat to remind them to use good manners. Children use good manners when they ask for food and receive praise from staff to help them recognise their kind words. When very young children stack blocks on top of each other, staff clap their hands to praise their achievements. This encourages children to persevere and keep trying.
• Children are keen to join activities staff plan for them. Staff understand what they want children to learn from activities they offer them. However, sometimes, during planned activities, staff do not support older children to build on what they already know and can do. Therefore, children are not able to make as much progress as possible in their development.
• Prior to children moving on to school, staff invite teachers to see the children in the nursery. This helps children to become familiar with the person who will be caring for them. Additional funding that some children receive is used effectively, such as to purchase uniforms for them to wear when they move on to school.
• The management team reflect on their practice. Recent changes include making refurbishments to the environment. These changes have a positive impact on allowing children to access more areas in the playrooms. This enables all children to make more independent choices in their play.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen partnerships with parents and support them to continue their children's learning at home
• support staff when they implement planned activities to help older children to build on what they already know and can do.