Happy Kidz

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop strong relationships with staff and their peers at the nursery. Babies actively explore the environment. Staff provide sensitive support to encourage them. This helps babies feel safe and form strong bonds with their key person. Parents comment on the excellent relationship they have with their child's key person. This supports good partnerships with parents at the nursery. Older children enjoy helping each other. For example, as they use the climbing frame, they praise their friends when they reach the top. This supports children's personal, social and emotional development.

Staff plan a range of learning experiences which ignite children's interests. Children develop their independence as they choose what they would like to do. Staff carefully build on children's learning as they play. For example, when younger children show an interest in using the scissors, staff demonstrate how to cut the paper. Children then have a go. They keep on trying and show pride in what they have achieved. In the garden, children develop their physical skills as they learn how to blow bubbles with the bubble wand. They delight in running to pop the bubbles. This helps children to make good progress in their learning and development.

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

• Leaders have high ambitions for children in the nursery. They design the curriculum to build on what children know and can do. They consider children's individual interests as they plan for their learning. For example, younger children show an interest in holidays. Leaders plan the story and song to build on this interest. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are active in their learning.
• Children develop their emotional well-being. They start to learn the skills to manage their own feelings and behaviours. They play alongside each other from a young age. Staff sensitively support children to follow the routines and boundaries at the nursery. This supports children's good behaviour.
• Children are developing their independence throughout the nursery. For example, children learn skills to serve their own food. Older children use the serving spoons confidently. Staff think carefully about the skills children need as they move on to school. This helps children to be prepared for the next stage in their learning.
• Children develop a love of books. They gather and find a comfortable place to listen to a story. Staff engage children as they tell stories. Older children identify the title of their favourite story as they look at books independently. This supports children's communication and language skills.
• Staff talk with children as they play. They build on children's play to help them to progress to the next stage in their learning. There are times when staff do not provide enough time for children to fully develop their thinking skills. For example, staff provide the answer as children try to put their shoes on the wrong feet. This does not allow children enough time to problem-solve and find their own answer.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery. They are happy with how well their child has settled in. They enjoy hearing about their child's day and the progress they are making at the nursery. Parents also comment on the support they receive from staff and leaders to help their child make the best possible progress.
• Leaders reflect on what is working well and what improvements they are making in the nursery. They know staff well and support their well-being. Staff have regular meetings to help them in their practice. They praise the support they receive. As a result, the team works well together.
• Leaders encourage staff to develop professionally by offering a range of training. However, leaders do not always identify the most appropriate training to further develop individual staff practice. As a result, staff are not always clear on what they would like to achieve next to develop their skills further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more time for children to problem-solve and develop their thinking skills before giving an answer
• further develop staff supervision arrangements so that training and development needs are identified which will most effectively extend staff's practice.