Galaxy Explorers

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly into this nurturing environment because of the well-thought-out settling-in procedures. Staff form strong bonds with children and their parents and children feel safe and secure. Staff know children well and set targets around children's interests and their next steps. Parents say their children are happy and they receive regular communication on their children's progress. They are given ideas of how to help at home and feel fully involved in their children's learning and development. The large lending library enables children to choose books to take home to share with their parents or carers.

Children behave well and excitedly join in circle times. Staff use resources, such as visual timetables, and speak in a range of languages. Additional strategies, including cue cards, help to ensure all children can access the learning. All children make good progress, including those who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Staff make effective use of assessments and plan to ensure that children are meeting developmental milestones and are ready for their next stages in learning. For example, younger children have a range of materials to make marks on paper and older children use name cards to practise copying the letters of their name. This supports their next steps in writing.

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

• There is a strong focus on supporting children's physical development. For example, children visit parks, farms and gardens and there is a specialist sports coach who visits weekly. The low-level furniture and adequate floor space gives babies opportunities to practise their crawling and walking. Older children climb stairs, slide down slides and have designated soft-play areas to support their balancing and climbing.
• A love for reading is promoted throughout the nursery. Babies enjoy looking at books, turning pages and playing with sensory books and puppets. Staff enjoy sharing stories and teach children traditional rhymes using puppets.
• Children have many opportunities to develop their small-muscle skills. They use cutters, rolling pins, and small eyes to make gingerbread men at the play dough table. Babies enjoy placing pieces into jigsaw puzzles.
• Most staff model language well and repeat words to embed vocabulary. For example, they use actions to emphasise the language of 'over, under' and 'through' while sharing the story of 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. However, not all staff are confident with this. They do not always make best use of purposeful interactions with children to extend their play and learning.
• Planned activities introduce children to number and shape. Babies enjoy stacking rings and staff model counting. Older children use two-dimensional magnetic shapes to make three-dimensional shapes out of triangles and squares. Staff model mathematical language and extend children's understanding of shape vocabulary.
• Children behave well. For example, when learning about the different characteristics and names of a range of arctic animals, children listen to each other's ideas. Staff model turn taking and sharing. This helps children develop respect for each other.
• Children enjoy the healthy meals and snacks provided. Staff sit with children, making this a social experience and providing opportunities for discussions around healthy choices. Children develop independence, including by serving themselves, and staff role model how to use cutlery appropriately.
• Children engage in a range of activities to celebrate diversity. They learn about a range of festivals. Some of which include Chinese New Year, Diwali and Eid. Parents are invited in to share different foods and talk to children about their different cultures and traditions. This teaches children to respect and understand differences.
• The management team are passionate about ensuring the good quality of their provision. They have a clear vision on how they want to improve. They work closely with staff, children, and their parents to ensure all children make good progress from their starting points. They make effective use of external agencies to ensure their highly targeted plans support the needs of all children in their care. They understand the importance of continuous professional development and support staff in achieving recognised childcare qualifications. Staff report good levels of well-being and feel supported by managers and leaders.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop all staff further in helping children to fully develop and extend their communication skills.