Hamble Early Years

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and full of enthusiasm to begin their day. Staff greet parents and children at the door. They know the children and their families particularly well. Children smile with delight when they see their key person. They find their photo for self-registration and hang up their belongings. Staff have high aspirations for all children. They value and respect their unique personalities and characteristics. This helps children to feel safe and secure.

Staff develop a curriculum that is based on 'in the moment planning'. This builds on children's current interests. Staff capture children's curiosities during play and extend their learning. For example, babies that enjoy sensory activities are encouraged to explore different textures. Staff notice when older children make marks on a large whiteboard and encourage them to write letters from their name.

Children behave well. They are polite and well mannered. Staff are good role models. They support children to understand rules such as walking indoors and sharing toys. When children struggle to regulate their emotions, staff provide sensitive support. This helps children to learn what is expected of them.

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

• The leadership team is passionate about the nursery. Leaders are highly reflective and respond promptly to any concerns raised. Leaders revisit policies to ensure that they are as robust as possible. This supports the well-being of all children. Staff feel well supported. They are confident to share their views during regular one-to-one meetings and daily discussions with leaders. This helps staff to work well together as a team.
• The curriculum is ambitious and unique to the children's individual needs. Staff skilfully build on what children know and can do. They carefully plan activities that they know children will enjoy. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress from their starting points. Staff regularly observe children's progress to assess their next steps in learning. This helps to identify and support children's further learning.
• Leaders and staff build strong parent partnerships. Consideration and time are taken during the settling-in process. Staff ensure that they have precise knowledge of children in their care. They have daily discussions with parents to maintain knowledge about children's current interests. Parents are particularly impressed with the progress their children make in their learning.
• Children's language development is well supported. Staff provide babies with a commentary of what they are doing. They repeat words back so babies hear the correct pronunciation. Staff engage in meaningful conversations with older children. They provide opportunities for children to learn new words, such as
• 'bumpy' and 'smooth'. This helps to develop children's growing vocabulary.
• Staff support children's independence skills well. They encourage babies to use cutlery to feed themselves from an early age. Older children wipe their own noses and put the tissue in the bin. Staff support children to wash their hands independently before mealtimes. This helps children to develop the independence skills required for their futures.
• Staff plan a wide range of activities to help children use the small muscles in their hands. For example, babies enjoy using their hands to roll and squash play dough. Older children concentrate intently as they fasten tiny nuts and bolts during an activity. This helps to develop children's muscle strength and dexterity in preparation for early writing.
• Overall, daily routines and transitions are smooth and effective. Older children stop and listen when they hear the bell ring. They respond to staff's instructions and tidy away their toys, ready for the next part of their day. However, some aspects of the daily routine for babies are not fully effective. For instance, when staff are completing domestic tasks, babies are not as engaged as they could be. This results in them becoming disengaged and wandering around.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and improve the organisation of daily routines in the baby room, to consistently meet the needs of all children, in particular after mealtimes.