Cupcakes Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled at Cupcakes Nursery. They develop strong and affectionate bonds with the caring staff. This supports their emotional well-being and gives them a secure foundation for learning. Children demonstrate that they feel safe in the warm and nurturing environment. For example, babies are drawn to a music activity led by staff. They take part with great enthusiasm, as they discover how to make sounds on a drum. Babies feel confident to go off and explore this new interest independently. They tap on the pots and pans in their play kitchen and are delighted by the noises they create.

Staff have high expectations for all children. They provide an inclusive environment where children's unique backgrounds and abilities are valued. The provider uses additional funding effectively to help all children access the ambitious curriculum. For example, children are provided with special resources or one-to-one learning support. Children enjoy sharing their experiences from home and happily celebrate special events, such as Passover and Easter, together. This helps them to understand and respect their similarities and differences. Children behave well. They learn to be kind to others and develop firm friendships with their peers.

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

• The manager, who is also the owner, has a clear vision for the nursery and how they can enhance the outcomes for children. This includes effective supervision and ongoing training for staff. Staff say that they feel well supported by the manager. They speak positively about training and describe how this has helped to broaden their teaching skills.
• Staff know the children well and are swift to identify any gaps in their learning. They provide targeted support to help give children the best start to their education. This includes interventions from other professionals where appropriate. As a result, all children, including those who receive funding and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff promote children's speaking and listening skills effectively. For example, toddlers are enthralled by staff's skilful and engaging storytelling. They excitedly join in, anticipating the repeated refrains from a favourite book. Children learn new words and speak out with confidence. Staff use strategies such as visual cues where necessary, to help children who speak English as an additional language and those with SEND to communicate.
• Children have fun at the nursery and show positive attitudes to their learning. For instance, pre-school children concentrate intently as they cut out paper 'palm leaves'. They have a clear idea of what they want to achieve and set high expectations for themselves. Children are resilient and keep trying until they are happy with the leaves they have created.
• In general, children thoroughly enjoy the experiences that staff offer. However, on occasion, staff are slow to adjust activities and routines, to ensure that all children remain interested and engaged. For instance, sometimes, the discussions at circle time are too long and complicated. Therefore, some children become bored and miss out on the learning opportunities.
• Staff provide effective support for children's physical and mental well-being. They are extremely sensitive to children's emotional needs and are quick to offer them help or reassuring cuddles when needed. Children enjoy healthy meals and have plenty of opportunities to be physically active. This includes daily outdoor play and weekly sports sessions.
• Children listen to staff and follow the routines well. They learn to use their 'kind hands' and 'walking feet' while they are in the nursery. Older children are beginning to regulate their behaviour independently. For instance, they use a sand timer to ensure that their turn taking is fair.
• Parents state that their children are happy to attend the nursery and develop great relationships with the nurturing staff. They comment that staff teach children many key skills and instil them with a love for learning. Parents appreciate the detailed feedback from staff about their children's progress. They value staff's help with issues such as children's language development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to adapt and reshape some planned routines and activities, to fully maximise children's engagement and enjoyment in their learning.