Happy Kids Thurcroft

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and excited to spend time at the welcoming nursery. Staff exchange meaningful information with parents from the start. Caring staff tailor settling-in periods to help build children's confidence and sense of belonging. Children willingly approach staff for cuddles and reassurance when needed. They show that they feel safe and secure in their care. Children behave well. Young children are learning to share and take turns. Staff adopt a consistent approach, for example using 'golden rules' to guide children's behaviour.

Children have a wealth of daily opportunities for outdoor play, fresh air and exercise, in all weathers. They gain in independence as they 'have a go' at putting on their own coats and hats. Children relish jumping up and down in muddy puddles in their waterproof suits and wellington boots with their friends. Staff encourage children to learn self-care skills, such as blowing their noses and cleaning their teeth. They work with parents closely to promote toilet training. Children pour themselves drinks of milk or water at snack time. They learn the skills they need for this task when playing with water and sand. Staff support children to spread butter on crumpets at snack time. Children choose from a range of fruits. These experiences help to build children's self-esteem and basic skills ready for their future learning.

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

• Dedicated and enthusiastic leaders and managers have a clear, shared vision of what they want children to experience and learn during their time at the nursery. They are committed to making ongoing improvements to the setting. One example of this is their plans to provide further staff training in mathematics to benefit older children at the nursery in particular.
• There is good support in place for staff well-being. This includes identifying a designated role for a staff member to take a lead in promoting self-care. Leaders and managers value positive teamwork by staff. Managers ensure that staff access relevant professional development targeted to meet both the needs of the children and the interests of individuals.
• The broad curriculum is focused on promoting children's readiness for the next stage of their learning. Staff know individual children's ongoing needs and interests well. They tailor the curriculum to match them. They take prompt action to identify and address any gaps in children's learning and development. Several staff have training and experience in provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They use their knowledge to support a whole-team approach.
• Partnership working with other settings attended by children and with other agencies is strong. This helps to secure further support for children with additional needs from the start. All children make good progress, including those with SEND.
• Staff nurture a love of books, rhymes and songs in children. They thoughtfully choose stories to support children's emotional well-being and developmental stages. Staff cuddle children as they read to them from a favourite book. Sharing stories helps to build strong relationships between adults and children. Children learn to listen carefully as they copy rhythms on musical instruments. These experiences promote the good development of their early literacy skills.
• Staff provide an ongoing commentary for children's play. They introduce new words, for instance linked to the book of the month. Staff use signing to support children's understanding. There is strong support for children for whom English is not their home language. This helps the good development of children's communication and language skills.
• Parents say that staff communication is very effective. They say they feel well informed about their children's experiences and achievements at the nursery. Staff use a range of strategies to help parents to continue children's learning at home. These include providing a lending library and affordable activity ideas. They share information about children's interests at the nursery, such as dinosaurs. This contributes to the overall development of children.
• Children have fun at the nursery and are eager to take part in activities, such as snack time. However, during changes in routines, for example moving from outdoor to indoor play, some children become distracted and occasionally lack purpose. Staff do not consistently intervene as strongly to address all children's needs throughout these transitions.
• Staff help children to find out about celebrations across the world. They go for walks together and visit shops locally to learn about the wider world around them. These experiences in the community help children to understand more about the similarities and differences between themselves and others.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen transitions between routines, including staff deployment, to meet the needs of children of different ages consistently well.