Chuckles Childcare Warton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff in the nursery create a wonderful, calm and supportive environment that focuses on children's well-being. This child-centred approach is fully embedded, and children are happy, independent and confident. The highly knowledgeable staff strive for excellence and deliver an inviting environment for children to explore. With timely staff input and positive role modelling, children play well together and make good progress.

Leaders and staff provide children with a broad and ambitious curriculum that is based on children's interests and seasonal topics. The staff use information provided by parents, initial assessments and observations of the children to plan what they need to learn next. Staff establish excellent relationships with professionals and deliver consistent and effective targeted sessions for children with delays in their development.

Babies at the nursery benefit from high standards of care and nurturing that the staff establish. They provide safe physical spaces for babies to develop their confidence and skills. For example, resources are skilfully provided in cosy areas for the youngest babies to reach, while older babies begin to pull themselves up on the equipment. In this way, staff support babies to develop their mobility and core strength.

Relationships with parents are strong. Staff work hard from the outset to develop highly effective partnerships with parents, and new starters settle quickly. Parents feel happy and confident with the communication and safety systems in place. For example, the sharing of information verbally and via an online app allows parents to know daily activities and keep abreast of children's developmental progress.

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

• Staff promote children's emotional well-being effectively. Children are excited to enter the nursery, and they are greeted by caring and enthusiastic staff. They settle quickly after entering their room to explore, play and learn. Children are confident and independent as they move around the nursery. They access a plethora of exciting, stimulating and inviting activities, both indoors and outdoors.
• Staff use a wide variety of resources to provide authentic experiences using real tools and equipment. This helps to teach children how to use these objects in the real world. For instance, as children use small wheelbarrows, bricks and foam cement, they learn about building sites and jobs. This encourages children to make connections between home and the nursery.
• Overall, staff use effective teaching opportunities that arise as children play. For example, they use mathematics vocabulary in the outdoor mud kitchens as children fill and empty containers with coloured water. Occasionally, however, due to staff deployment, activities are not always delivered effectively to support all children's learning. At these times, children do not have the optimal support they need to fully extend their learning.
• Staff encourage children to be independent. For instance, children serve themselves food, store away belongings and put on their own coats. Staff are close by to offer a willing hand as well as plenty of praise, supporting children's self-esteem well. Children show they feel proud of their achievements and are motivated to do more.
• Children's behaviour is good. Staff support them to follow the routines of the nursery, playing cooperatively and sharing resources. Staff promote British values by teaching children the importance of good manners, kindness and respect. This is evident as children converse with each other, chatting in the ice cream role-play shop about what ingredients they would like on their food. This helps children to become confident and articulate communicators.
• Staff encourage children to develop a love of reading and sharing books. For instance, children in the 'Tweenies' room have a focus book of the week for group reading. They also have independent access to a range of books at floor level, including sensory books to help feel the different textures. Staff help all children to have their voices heard. All children are valued for their contributions to nursery life.
• The managers and staff have a strong ethos for the nursery. They strive to have happy and confident children who benefit from high-quality teaching through the power of play. Staff have regular supervision, and managers set targets to improve teaching to higher levels. Staff well-being is given high priority. They undertake professional development to improve outcomes for all children and benefit from team-bonding sessions. Staff receive regular positive praise for their efforts.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the deployment of staff to provide more consistent support for children to enable them to make the best possible progress in their learning and development.