Happy Feet Day Care Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children make rapid progress in the nursery from their original starting points on entry. Staff know the children well, and the experienced staff work well together under a strong leadership team.

From a young age, children take part in a range of sensory experiences that help them to develop their hand-eye coordination and explore properties of materials. They sprinkle rice from different heights into tin buckets and bowls and delight in listening to the different sounds they make. They swish their hands and feet from side to side in large trays that are filled with coloured rice. They watch what happens as they mix the different colours together. They become captivated as the rice sticks to their painted hands, and they rub these together and shake them to try and get it off. They observe that when their hands are wet or painted, the rice sticks, and when they are dry, it does not.

Staff widen children's experiences as they take them out in the local community. They visit the local charity shops and learn about recycling. They build links in the local community, for example, as they visit elderly residents in the local residential home.

Children behave well, and staff support them to learn about emotions and feelings and how their behaviour can affect others around them. Staff plan a range of activities that actively encourage children to talk about and recognise their feelings. Staff help children to acquire the skills that are needed to self-regulate their behaviours.

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

• The curriculum is challenging and well considered. It encourages children to be curious and inquisitive. Staff take great note of what motivates the children and captures their interest. They skilfully weave this into the curriculum as well as targeting particular skills of focus.
• Staff take time to really get to know children when they first start and find out where they are in their learning journey. This enables them to plan their next steps in learning effectively.
• Children learn how to use a range of tools safely and develop their hand strength and control. They use chopsticks to get buttons out of dough and scissors to cut, make and model.
• Staff provide a rich-language environment and broaden children's vocabulary by introducing them to new words and their meaning. They engage children in ongoing dialogue. Although, there is not a consistent approach in valuing children's time to talk, in particular building in time for children to process questions before intervening.
• Mathematical language and counting are interwoven into children's play and daily routines. For example, during construction activities, children name and count the number of shapes they add to their creations, and say 'on top' and 'by the side'. They explore the different shapes in the environment, including pillars on buildings, and then return to the nursery to model these from recyclable materials.
• Staff sit with the children at lunchtime, and it is a very social occasion. Staff support children to be increasingly more independent and to persevere using their cutlery. However, staff have not considered how to make use of other opportunities to further develop children's growing physical independence. For example, children drink from sports bottles and are provided with fewer opportunities to develop their control and coordination to practise independently drinking from an open cup.
• Children learn about healthy eating and oral health and learn more from their local dentist. Staff use funding to provide families with toothbrush and information packs. Children visit the local supermarket to buy fruit for their snack and learn more about healthy eating and where fruit and vegetables grow.
• Staff manage the transitions throughout the nursery well to ensure that children continue to feel confident and supported. Staff are attentive to the children's needs, and they respond well to babies' verbal and non-verbal cues. Staff know the children well and respond with cuddles or help them with tasks. This helps children to feel emotionally secure and to build strong bonds with staff.
• Leaders place a strong emphasis on supporting the professional development and well-being of staff. Staff encourage staff to reflect on their practice and the experiences they offer to children. Staff attend regular training to continuously build on their knowledge and skills to build on the outcomes for children. Staff provide parents/carers with detailed feedback on their children's development and encourage them to be actively involved in the nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all staff to value children's time to talk, in particular building in time for children to process questions before intervening
• consider how to use all opportunities to consistently promote older children's growing physical independence.