Hackney Care For Kids

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders have implemented all necessary improvements since the last inspection. For example, they have ensured that suitability checks for all trustees are completed. The improved supervision arrangements support leaders in fully understanding their roles and responsibilities. These actions have led to overall improvements in the effectiveness of leadership and the quality of provision.

Children are happy and settled in this inviting, welcoming nursery. They arrive eagerly and are greeted warmly by kind and caring staff. Staff dedicate time to building and nurturing trusting relationships with children, which helps them feel safe and secure. Children build strong relationships with their peers, supporting their social development. They behave well and benefit from staff's consistently high expectations. Staff actively support children in learning considerate behaviours such as sharing and taking turns. Positive behaviour is consistently promoted through praise and encouragement. As a result, children demonstrate a strong attitude towards learning and behave well.

Leaders and staff have developed a broad and ambitious curriculum that nurtures children's curiosity and interests. They provide staff with effective support, guidance and training to ensure a clear understanding of the curriculum's aims and expectations for all children. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress across all areas of the curriculum.

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

• Staff provide children with high-quality teaching and meaningful interactions. Children respond positively and often engage in conversations with adults. For example, they discuss the different modes of transport they use to get to nursery. Staff support children's communication and language development effectively by modelling new vocabulary during activities. Children and staff enjoy joining in with rhymes and songs, which further enhances their language skills.
• A love of books is strongly promoted throughout the nursery. Children enjoy looking at books independently and sharing them with adults throughout the day. Staff bring stories to life using props and puppets, capturing children's imagination. Older children make predictions and react with excitement as stories unfold. For instance, they gasp in anticipation to discover what happens to the baby owls. Children also enjoy taking books home to share with their families, which supports the development of early literacy skills.
• The key-person system is highly effective and well embedded, helping to ensure that all children feel safe, valued and secure in the nursery's diverse environment. Key persons implement effective assessments of children's development and provide targeted opportunities and support to help them achieve their next steps. This includes children with SEND.
• Physical development is well promoted through both indoor and outdoor exploration. Children jump, balance, dance and confidently ride bikes, demonstrating increasing coordination and control. There is a clear progression in the materials and activities that support fine motor development, beginning with chunky mark-making tools and advancing to more precise tools such as pencils.
• The curriculum supports the development of children's early mathematical skills effectively. Practitioners provide play-based experiences to encourage children to expand their mathematical vocabulary. For example, they incorporate counting and early number concepts into the children's everyday play. Additionally, practitioners talk about mathematical concepts such as size and quantity during snack time and outdoor play.
• Children are provided with opportunities to explore and ignite their curiosity. For example, they show high levels of engagement during sand and water activities, playing alongside staff and responding well to their questions. However, on occasion, staff intervene too quickly, which can limit children's opportunities to problem-solve and extend their critical thinking skills to the highest level.
• Leaders prioritise staff well-being and ensure that team members feel supported. They take time to build relationships with staff and understand how they are feeling. A structured well-being system is in place to offer ongoing support. As a result, staff feel valued, morale is high, and staff retention is strong.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff ensure that parents are actively involved in nursery life and in their children's learning. For example, parents are invited to attend workshops on topics such as children's behaviour and sleep routines. Parents value these opportunities and the useful information that is shared with them.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• maximise opportunities for children to explore their own ideas, thoughts and develop their critical thinking skills to the highest level.