Darul Madinah Leicester

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a warm and caring environment for children. The cheerful and supportive atmosphere ensures that children are comfortable and settled. Children arrive excited and eager to see their friends. They demonstrate their understanding of nursery routines as they put away their belongings and prepare to engage in activities. Children develop small-muscle skills as they construct towers with large scale, soft blocks. Staff support children as they introduce mathematical concepts, such as on top and underneath, as they play alongside them.

Leaders and staff have developed an ambitious curriculum, which is well sequenced and supports children's learning and emotional well-being. Children learn to behave well. Staff enhance children's social skills and behaviour consistently. Younger children learn how to take turns and share. Older children are supported to develop confidence and consider the needs of others. For example, staff offer praise as older children assist their younger friends to zip up their coats before going outside. This praise encourages positive behaviour, helps children develop a sense of pride and promotes independence.

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

• Leaders value their staff team. They empower staff to use their strengths and knowledge to enhance the setting. Staff meet with leaders to discuss their roles and professional development, and the staff report high team morale. They feel well supported by their managers, which promotes a harmonious learning environment for children.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) progress well. Staff monitor and observe children to identify any additional needs and, when needed, seek further support from external agencies. This ensures that all children receive support to reach their full potential.
• Leaders and staff establish friendly, positive relationships with parents. They share information about children's individual care and achievements verbally and through an online system. They also provide newsletters and invite parents in for events, such as workshops hosted by staff. This effective communication supports continuity in children's care and learning, including for children with SEND. Parents highly recommend the care and learning that the setting provides.
• Staff actively support children's communication and language skills. They recognise the importance of supporting children who speak English as an additional language. Staff confidently communicate with dual-language children. They use a good balance of the children's home languages alongside English. This supports children to develop good communication skills and enhances their vocabulary.
• Children are engaged in varied experiences and activities planned by staff. They enjoy painting leaves in the garden area and confidently discuss autumn and the changing colour of leaves with staff members. However, children's learning and engagement in activities are interrupted as staff encourage children to complete routine activities without warning, such as visiting the toilet. Children who are engaged in completing an activity are requested to go to the bathroom, and their learning stops abruptly. This prevents children from completing tasks, and they lose focus on their learning. This prevents children from achieving the best possible learning outcomes.
• Staff plan activities that focus on children's interests and current stage of development. They follow the children's lead and support learning during general activities. For example, children are enthused as they build a hotel using toy bricks outside in the garden. They discuss the need for cement and that the hotel had been 'damaged' due to 'lightning'. Staff enthusiastically develop children's thinking through further questioning, suggesting that they may need to 'fix' the electrics to make sure the lights work.
• Staff teach children to persevere and become independent. For example, during snack time, staff actively encourage children to peel fruits. Children attempt to open tangerines and some face difficulty. Staff encourage them not to give up and offer 'to start off' the peeling and praise the children when they finish the task. This develops children's independence and promotes their sense of achievement.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the organisation of transitions so that children's engagement and learning is not unduly interrupted.