Creative Kids Pre School Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and staff work hard to provide a safe, welcoming and inviting nursery environment for children. They decorate the premises beautifully to reflect the seasonal festivities. Staff establish positive bonds with children. They are approachable and are very responsive to children, giving hugs and comfort to them whenever they need it. Children's emotional needs are supported successfully. They arrive to nursery keen and happily part from their parents.

The manager and staff know what they want children to learn and why. Their curriculum for children's learning focuses on children gaining the skills they need for their future learning, such as being independent and having strong communication skills. Overall, staff successfully plan learning opportunities for all children to achieve their goals. Staff know their key children well. They know what children like and enjoy and consider this generally well in their planning to help motivate children to learn and join in. Staff are consistent in how they manage children's behaviour. They teach children what is expected of them and how to behave positively. For instance, children happily help clear up when they have finished playing and know where toys belong. Staff give praise to help encourage children and support their growing self-esteem. Children are calm, follow routines, behave well and develop a sense of responsibility.

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

• Leaders are reflective of the practice at the nursery. They implement effective procedures to identify any areas where staff may need further support, such as through regular supervisions and meetings. Staff have good opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills, such as attending regular training sessions. Staff report that they are supported well in their role.
• The manager and staff plan an ambitious curriculum for children. Overall, they provide children with a wide range of different experiences to help them deepen their knowledge across all areas of learning. For instance, children learn how to take care of the nursery's pet rabbits while learning in depth about what they eat and where their food comes from. Children learn how to take care of nature and develop their understanding of the world well. However, at times, staff are slow to adapt their plans for some children's learning to help maintain their full engagement in purposeful learning.
• Staff are skilful at supporting children with any special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who may have delays in their learning. For instance, they use specific strategies to help support children who may have delays in their language skills, such as using signs and gestures to aid their understanding and communication.
• Children have good opportunities to develop their independence. Staff encourage children to do things for themselves from an early age and this is built on well by all staff as children progress throughout the nursery. For instance, the youngest children learn to get their own tissue to wipe their noses and know how to dispose of it when they are finished. Older children learn to put their coats on themselves and staff teach them how to zip their coats up. Children develop their personal and self-care skills well.
• Staff provide good opportunities for children to develop their early literacy skills. They regularly read to children. Children learn how to handle books with care and develop their listening skills well. Staff successfully teach children to recognise some written words, such as their names. Pre-school children learn how to form letters correctly and the sounds letters make in preparation for their move to school.
• Staff support children's language skills well overall. They talk to children, successfully modelling words and sentences, and encourage children to name objects they see to help them use new vocabulary. However, at times, staff do not use their questioning skills effectively to encourage more conversational talk to help extend children's language skills even further.
• Partnerships with parents are effective. Staff share regular information about their children's day and development. Staff involve parents well in children's learning at home. For instance, children regularly take nursery library books home to read with their parents to help provide further opportunities for them to develop their love of reading.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• adapt plans for children's learning to help encourage all children to be consistently fully focused and involved in purposeful play throughout the day
• strengthen staff's use of questioning to help extend children's good communication skills even further.