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What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are extremely confident and articulate. Leaders have worked hard to develop a curriculum that is bilingual. Staff use their knowledge and expertise to ensure both English and Spanish are carefully woven into activities throughout the day. Children show an excellent understanding of both languages and display highly developed language skills. They confidently repeat words and phrases in Spanish and join in with a range of familiar songs.

Children make rapid progress with their literacy skills and develop a love of reading. Staff ensure books are selected carefully to introduce new ideas and enhance learning. For example, staff use books that are filled with rhyming words to help support children's early letters and sounds skills. They skilfully ask questions and encourage children to solve problems.

Children greatly benefit from a safe, stimulating and nurturing environment, where they thrive and have lots of fun. Younger children are keen to explore the environment independently. They use their developing physical skills to pull objects through holes and investigate different textures. Children in the toddler room develop curiosity through a range of sensory activities and investigations. They spend long periods of time engaged in activities of their choice and staff skilfully build upon their interests. Children observe cars as they travel down a ramp and use their developing language skills to describe whether the vehicles are moving fast or slow.

Staff are warm, kind and nurturing. They use a range of effective strategies to support children's behaviour and self-esteem. For example, staff introduce conversations about feelings and emotions through story books. They encourage children to be resilient and support them to make the right choices. Children confidently remind each other of the rules and treat one another with respect.

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

• The management team are determined to provide children with a wide range of experiences so they achieve their full potential. They work closely with staff to plan a curriculum that is varied and challenging. The nursery leaders consistently evaluate the quality of their practice and identify specific improvements they would like to make. They ensure that both parents and children are fully included in this process and reflect on their views. For example, children are encouraged to vote for their favourite meals or stories. Parents meet regularly with leaders to make suggestions and discuss future improvements.
• The management team have created a culture of self-reflection. Staff have plenty of opportunities to enhance their knowledge and build on their areas of expertise. Staff benefit from a wealth of training opportunities and share what they have learned with each other. Supervision is targeted and used effectively to support the needs of individual staff. The recently appointed well-being champion has implemented a range of successful strategies to promote mental health. Staff say they are very well supported in their roles and feel valued as part of the team.
• Staff build strong relationships with parents and value their contributions. They use a range of methods to successfully engage with parents and promote children's learning at home. During the national lockdowns, staff encouraged parents and children to take part in daily circle time sessions. They also provided regular Spanish lessons, story time sessions and activity guidance. This helps to support children's well-being and provides continuity in their learning.
• Staff have a detailed knowledge of brain development and the stages of learning. They place a strong emphasis on developing communication skills from birth and create an environment that is rich in language. Staff use knowledge gained from training particularly well to identify gaps in children's language skills and to plan a range of tailored activities. They share strategies with parents to use at home and run various workshops. Language programmes are used effectively to promote speaking skills and to close the gaps in children's learning. This supports children to communicate confidently with adults and each other.
• Staff use their expert knowledge of each child to plan stimulating activities and learning experiences. They skilfully consider how they can build on children's existing skills and prior knowledge. For example, children have lots of opportunities to develop their physical skills, control and coordination. By the time they reach pre-school, they can confidently hop on one leg and hold a pencil. Children are very well prepared for their next stage in learning and eventual move to school.
• Staff expertly challenge children's mathematical skills and extend their learning. Children confidently add groups of objects together and talk about numbers that are smaller and larger. They use language, such as small, medium and large, to describe the features of a vehicle and make comparisons.