Creative Kids

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and build secure relationships with their key person and the other staff in their room. The staff get to know the children extremely well which helps them feel secure. Children receive a warm welcome upon arrival and settle in quickly. New children benefit from a gradual settling-in programme, which staff tailor to meet the child's individual needs. Staff place a high priority on developing children's communication and language skills. They engage in meaningful conversations and introduce new vocabulary. Babies repeat animal noises and toddlers enjoy singing and using new words. Staff ask children questions and give them time to think and answer for themselves.

Children's behaviour is excellent; they learn to manage their emotions well. Any minor disputes are quickly resolved between children, without the need for adult intervention. Staff are good role models in promoting positive, respectful behaviour. Parents are highly complimentary about the nursery provision. They comment that staff are very approachable, and their children are developing good social skills and make huge progress. Staff work closely with parents and provide regular updates about their child's progress; they share information with parents in a range of ways. Staff speak with parents at drop-off and collection times, and encourage them to view and add to children's online learning records.

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

• Children enjoy a bright welcoming, well-resourced and spacious environment. They particularly enjoy the outdoor area where they have many opportunities to be physically active. Staff encourage the children to use the equipment safely. For example, they remind them to use large equipment such as bikes and pushchairs on the path.
• Staff support children's independence skills well. They provide plenty of opportunities for children to develop the skills they need to move on to their next stage of learning. Older children take coats off themselves and confidently hang them on their hook. Younger children find their coats which have been laid out on the carpet and with support they attempt to put them on.
• The manager coordinates the provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She liaises with other professionals, including speech and language therapists, to ensure children receive timely support and that no child is left behind.
• The manager is very experienced and displays a strong commitment to providing good-quality experiences for the children. Together with her leadership team, she identifies areas for improvement. However, they do not always successfully monitor the programme for professional development to ensure that the coaching and training that staff receive directly and positively impacts the quality of learning experiences for all children.
• Staff make effective use of their assessments of children to monitor their progress and identify the next steps in learning. However, some planned adult-led activities are at times pitched too high to enable them to fully engage in purposeful learning. For example, younger children's creative play experiences are often product-led and do not always encourage open-ended exploration of materials. Older children have handwriting lessons which are at times too advanced for their level of understanding.
• The chef and kitchen team prepare a varied and healthy menu and have received bespoke training and support from a nutritionist. They cater for children's specific dietary needs, such as vegan and dairy free options. Staff help promote healthy food choices. Children are beginning to understand what foods are healthy. For example, one child explained that chocolate has sugar and pears are good for you. Staff teach children about the importance of looking after their bodies. To support this further, each week, the nursery has visits from sports coaches and the children particularly enjoy their dance lesson. The staff promote good oral health.
• Staff promote children's early reading skills. Children benefit from a wide range of books which are easily accessible for them to choose. The nursery has a home library and children choose books to take home. Staff also provide and information sheet for parents which outlines what the children are learning and how parents can support this further at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff in planning suitable adult-led activities that take into account children's age and stage of development, prior knowledge and what they need to learn next
• develop teaching skills and support staff to make better use of opportunities to extend and challenge children's learning through their play experiences.