Giggle Tots Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show increasing levels of independence, confidence and resilience at this welcoming and friendly nursery. They quickly form trusting bonds with their key person and other staff. Children happily welcome new visitors and are keen to share what they are doing. For example, babies show their puzzle pieces, toddlers are keen to talk about the food they are eating for lunch, and pre-school children delight in sharing their 'threading' creations. Staff readily commend children's efforts and achievements. This helps children to develop increasing levels of self-worth.

The ambitious curriculum supports all children to make good progress. Leaders organise a range of extra-curricular activities that enrich the curriculum considerably. These range from supporting children's communication development with signing to promoting their good emotional health and mental well-being and to developing physical skills with an external sports coach. These experiences benefit all children, particularly those who may be disadvantaged.

Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. As good role models, they assist children to show care and consideration. Children mimic these good qualities well. For example, older toddlers see their younger peers struggling to pour themselves water and support them to hold the jug. Pre-school children ask staff if they can help them set up activities. Acts of kindness such as these help to create a mutually respectful environment.

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

• Leaders plan a balanced and well-sequenced curriculum that is tailored to children's individual needs and interests. This helps children to build on their learning. For example, when some children show a keen interest in cars, staff build this into their learning. This begins with the colours of the garages cars park in, building to counting the garages and identifying the numbers on garage doors. This supports children to develop high levels of interest and engagement, promoting positive attitudes towards their learning.
• Staff place a priority on communication and language as part of the curriculum. They support children to communicate in a variety of ways. Staff recognise the value of singing, rhymes, signing and reading stories to help children to communicate and acquire and use words and vocabulary. However, these interactions with children are not always consistent across the nursery. Children and staff with less confidence do not always have the same high-quality interactions as those who are more outgoing.
• Children behave well. Staff take time to talk to children. They help children by offering solutions and support them to manage their feelings and behaviour.
• Staff use timers to help children to understand that they need to wait their turn and share resources. These methods help children to cope with big emotions and support their positive behaviour.
• Staff work hard to support children to learn the social skills needed to interact successfully. They give children extensive praise and warmth for their achievements. This helps to support children's confidence and resilience and gives them a positive sense of their own identity and independence. Staff know their key children well and can explain their likes, dislikes and next steps in learning.
• Children have daily opportunities to play outdoors in the fresh air. Children have access to equipment to practise their climbing and balancing skills. This promotes children's physical development and encourages them to use their large muscles. Staff help children to develop their hand-eye coordination. Younger children enjoy using chalks to mark make, while older children concentrate on threading. This helps children to strengthen the small muscles in their hands, ready for early writing.
• Leaders and staff work alongside parents and carers and external agencies to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Consequently, children with SEND progress well.
• Leaders use observations well to support staff's practice. They have a clear understanding of their strengths as well as where staff require some additional support. They prioritise the well-being of their staff team. Staff comment that leaders are highly supportive and approachable. Leaders tailor staff's continued professional development to their individual needs. However, some staff have not benefited from further training and support to ensure consistency across the staff team and to raise their confidence and expertise even further.
• Parents value the support that staff provide to not only their children but also parents themselves. They are impressed with the progress that their children have made since starting the nursery and praise staff's open sharing of learning that allows them to support their children at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• encourage staff to have consistently high-quality interactions with children across the nursery
• offer staff purposeful professional development more consistently to ensure that all staff are confident to deliver high-quality learning opportunities.