Chiswick's Little Explorers

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children demonstrate that they feel happy, safe and emotionally secure at nursery. They settle very well and benefit from the 'home-from-home' nursery ethos that helps provide them with a stimulating environment for their early education. Children are keen to take part in daily outings to a local park. They wear their hi-visibility jackets and understand the routines and expectations for the journey and time spent at the park. Children enjoy seeing people from the community, such as the local window cleaner, and watch the birds in the trees with interest.

Children thoroughly enjoy playing in the well-equipped playrooms that offer exciting and challenging activities and resources. For example, in an activity based on 'our senses', children learn actively as they mould dough and develop scissor control. Very young children compare the balls of dough and identify 'big' and 'little'. They acknowledge that one is 'heavy'. Children watch and listen attentively as staff demonstrate the best way to hold the scissors. They cut the leaves off the herbs to roll into their dough and compare the smells of coriander and basil. All children show readiness for the next stages of their learning.

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

• Leadership is strong. The manager is passionate about the quality of care provided by her staff and extremely dedicated to her role. She uses robust systems for recruitment, induction and training of staff. The manager is very confident to act in regard to identifying minor gaps in children's learning and development and maintains strong partnerships with parents.
• Staff embed a curriculum that is well planned and focuses on children's independence and language. A priority is placed on following children's interests. For example, staff plan purposeful activities that engage and challenge children based on their favourite dinosaurs. Staff proactively extend learning as children use a play tray filled with sensory resources and dinosaur figures. Children recall words they already know and learn new language, such as 'stomping'. They use descriptive terms, such as 'long tails', to compare the dinosaurs and excitedly imitate the noises a dinosaur might make.
• Children show they understand that books can be used for many purposes. For instance, they are intrigued by non-fiction books showing different dinosaurs. Children show awareness that some live on land and some in water.
• Children enjoy daily outings to a local park as currently the nursery does not have its own outdoor spaces. Overall, staff plan very well for these outings. For instance, children engage in conversations about what they hear and see on their journey. Staff help children to develop physical abilities, skills and confidence while using apparatus. Staff take a range of resources to broaden the choices children make about what to do. For example, children learn to use low- level stilts to walk on. However, opportunities to enhance the learning children receive back at nursery are not extended effectively enough. For instance, staff do not plan outdoor opportunities to build on children's knowledge in areas such as mathematics or literacy, for those children who prefer to learn outdoors.
• Staff provide highly effective practice in regard to children's healthy lifestyles and emotional well-being. Snack and mealtimes are nutritious and healthy. Staff help children to be as independent as possible according to their age. This includes pouring drinks and wiping their own faces after eating. Mealtimes are very sociable and children remain keen to stay with staff after eating lunch to hear stories. Staff deploy themselves well so that they can ensure children are enjoying books relevant to their understanding. For example, babies thoroughly enjoy interacting and lifting the flaps of their book. Toddlers join in with the noises animals make from the story 'Dear Zoo', and the older children snuggle up with staff for their story time.
• Children show positive attitudes to their learning. They are very well behaved. Group times with babies, toddlers and slightly older children are managed very well. For example, all children engage and join in with singing activities. Children patiently take turns to choose the next song, show curiosity in the actions staff teach them and already know popular endings and verses. Babies rock with delight at their favourite rhymes. All children have warm and close bonds with staff.
• Parents are positive about the care that children receive at nursery. They state that feedback and communication is particularly good. Parents acknowledge that the manager is highly effective in how she supports all children, particularly in regard to offering strategies for building and developing children's speech.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance outdoor learning opportunities to build even more on the experiences children enjoy indoors, particularly for those who prefer to learn outside.