Emma Kerfoot's Ladybirds

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop warm, trusting relationships with staff, who are kind and caring. Staff use topics to introduce new experiences to broaden children's understanding. They tailor their learning intentions to meet the needs and interests of individual children. For example, children enjoy science experiments. They confidently guess which colour the oil will turn as they drop coloured water into their tubes. Children beam with delight if they have guessed correctly. They have daily access to the outdoor area. Children benefit from regular trips to the local wildlife area, known affectionately as 'Crocodile Creek'.

Staff have high expectations and are good role models. Children display positive behaviour. For example, toddlers sit in a row as they pass instruments and rain makers to each of their friends. They delight in the sounds which they make while waiting patiently for their turn. Older children develop firm friendships and play together harmoniously. The manager has introduced steps to help minimise the spread of COVID-19 and control the spread of infection. For example, all staff and visitors remove their shoes when entering the nursery and parents continue to drop off and pick up children from the entrance.

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

• Children have opportunities to develop their physical skills. For example, babies have many opportunities to pull themselves up as they learn to stand. Toddlers scoop rice into small cauldrons and use pincers to pick up the rubber snakes and mice. Older children use pipettes to mix colours. This helps to develop children's small muscles in their hands in preparation for future writing.
• Staff meet the individual needs of babies very well. They provide a bright, safe and clean environment for babies to explore. New babies receive lots of cuddles and attention from their key person to help them settle. Staff play background noise as they find that this helps babies to sleep soundly in their cots.
• Staff expertly weave the teaching of mathematics into their interactions with children. For example, they help younger children to count the number of pumpkins which they have made from the dough. Pre-school children fill and empty containers in the water tray. Staff ask children to compare the amount of water in different containers, deciding when both have the same amount. Staff help children to develop their understanding of volume and capacity in preparation for school.
• Staff place a great focus on children's communication and language development. Even the youngest babies sit down with staff during group circle time. They confidently take turns to pick out an item from a bag relating to a nursery rhyme. Children join in with actions and movements of the nursery rhymes, which their friends choose, as they wait for theirs to be sung.
• Overall, staff teach children about the differences between themselves and what makes them unique. Staff challenge gender stereotypes. Girls and boys are encouraged to play with all of the resources on offer, regardless of their gender. For example, boys enjoy feeding the 'babies' in the role-play area. However, staff do not consistently include important words in children's home languages into their practice. This does not help all children to value their home languages or extend their communication skills.
• The special educational needs coordinator is knowledgeable. She works confidently with external agencies and has implemented effective strategies. This supports all children to make progress in their development.
• Partnership with parents is strong. Staff regularly share information about children's care and learning with parents. Parents comment that this has increased their understanding of how they can support their children at home. This helps to provide continuity for children.
• The manager is ambitious and passionate about providing high-quality care and education. She has a clear vision of what she wants children to learn. The manager observes staff's practice and ensures that staff complete mandatory training, for example, in paediatric first aid. However, due to recent difficulties in recruitment, the programme for staff's professional development is not highly focused. This does not support staff in further developing their knowledge and skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build staff's understanding of the importance of using children's home languages, to help children understand and extend their communication skills
• strengthen the programme of professional development to support staff in further developing their knowledge and skills, to enhance children's education even further.