Children 4 Most

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily and are warmly greeted by caring and kind staff. Children thrive and develop positive attitudes towards learning within this child-focused environment. Children benefit from small-group times, resulting in high levels of respect and behaviour. Older children share resources patiently and take turns to plant in the garden. Babies enjoy banging objects together, smiling and laughing as they make different sounds. Children are motivated and eager to join in with activities. It is evident that children's experiences are mostly consistent and arranged to consider children's interests.

Staff support children to make individual choices. Children are excited to investigate the outdoor environment, showing awe and wonder as they hunt for bugs and watch for birds. Children engage in conversations, laughing and giggling, as they report their findings using clipboards. The children are happy in their secure learning environment, showing confident communication skills and ready for their next stage of development.

The manager and her team understand the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children's development. Overall, they have designed a well-sequenced curriculum with a particular focus on children's personal, social and emotional development. This support has helped children settle well within the provision.

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

• The quality of teaching is good. Staff know their children well and they use this knowledge to plan activities based on the children's current interests. Some of the planned activities do not focus enough on the intended learning experiences for children. For example, toddlers engage in an activity to share the meaning of their marks. However, these children have few language skills. This does not always support all children to make the best possible progress in their learning.
• The partnership with parents is a real strength of the setting. Parents speak highly of the nursery and it's nurturing staff. Parents are kept well informed through an online journal and daily discussions. Parents feel supported, as staff help them navigate through various developmental stages. Parents speak about how the setting goes above and beyond implementing strategies to support their children with biting or tantrums. As a consequence, all children are calm and focused consistently across the provision.
• The setting's special educational needs coordinator is knowledgeable in her role and understands the importance of early intervention. She knows the children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well, and ensures these children receive the support they need. Staff support children who speak English as an additional language. They identify and effectively implement targeted support for these children. As a result, children make good progress.
• Staff receive regular supervision sessions from the manager and report that they are well supported. The manager observes and evaluates teaching practices to identify training needs. However, this does not always support staff in identifying what they want children to learn during some planned activities.
• Staff manage all children's behaviour well and act as good role models. As a result, children show high levels of respect and kindness towards each other. Toddlers sit motivated in their small-world play for long periods. Children demonstrate their understanding of rules and turn taking during activities.
• The manager and her staff place a strong emphasis on supporting children to gain good communication and language skills. Staff model language consistently well. They introduce new vocabulary, such as 'Sparrow' and 'Hawk'. They sing with younger children as they wait for their snack and babies repeat familiar phrases such 'all gone' when their breakfast is finished. Children are therefore able to articulate what they know and understand in age-appropriate ways.
• Healthy lifestyles are promoted well. Toddlers share their understanding saying, 'Milk is good for bones' during snack time. Older children learn about healthy foods as they name and discuss vegetables in the garden, 'I don't like lemons they are sour'. Furthermore, children are supported in developing their independence. For instance, children know to wash their hands before snack time and put their coats on to play outside. This focused approach helps children to become increasingly independent in managing their personal needs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• refine planned activities, so that staff are clear on the learning intentions for children, to support children make the best progress
• develop the supervision process, to identify clear targets for all staff, in order to raise the quality of teaching even higher.