Hatching Dragons Canada Water

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet children warmly on arrival. New children develop secure attachments with their key person as settling-in systems are effective. Children demonstrate that they feel secure and safe. They are happy and form close bonds with staff. Staff work in partnership with parents to identify children's starting points in learning and interests. Staff provide opportunities for children to participate in a wide variety of activities. For example, children are intrigued and excited to sing a song in Mandarin. Staff check children's understanding by asking questions and using recall strategies to see if they remember previously learned words in Mandarin.

Children are encouraged to learn about emotional literacy. This helps them to understand their feelings better. Staff support children to learn how their actions can affect others. Children discuss the core values at circle time, with support from staff. They recall the importance of sharing and being kind and gentle. This helps to create a calm and nurturing environment for children to learn in. Children are keen and energetic to learn. They enjoy working in small groups with staff, such as measuring different ingredients to make play dough.

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

• The manager has supported staff to establish effective routines and structures for children to follow. Staff act as good role models for children. They reinforce good behaviour and remind children of the rules. Consequently, children are well behaved, calm and respectful towards their friends.
• The new manager has worked hard to make significant changes to the nursery. Staff receive training and professional development opportunities, which has had a positive impact on them delivering a good curriculum.
• Key persons have a good knowledge of their key children. They plan the curriculum based on children's interests and individual learning needs. Staff provide a range of activities to support children to meet their next steps in development. However, staff do not consistently provide more opportunities to enhance and build children's resilience and independence.
• Overall, children's communication and language are promoted well. Staff use dual coding to support children's communication. For example, they use keywords in children's home languages accompanied with an image to help children feel settled and secure. However, when staff ask children questions, they are often closed questions and do not always allow children enough time to reflect and recall information.
• Children enjoy reading books in the book corner with staff and singing nursery rhymes. This helps them to develop a love of reading, particularly as staff read with enthusiasm, which helps to bring the story to life. Children have access to a wide variety of books to celebrate and learn about diversity and different ethnicities around the world.
• Outdoors, staff provide children with opportunities to develop their gross motor skills. Children enjoy climbing on obstacle courses created from building blocks. They shriek with joy when operating a pretend cement mixer using big circular movements. Children confidently climb on the logs and jump off, landing safely. Children listen attentively and follow instructions. For example, when staff say and model movements, such as crawl, standing and shaking, children copy and continue to follow their instructions.
• The manager and staff cater for children's allergen, dietary and medical requirements effectively. Each child has an individual place mat, displayed at snack time and lunchtime, that displays information about their needs. Lunchtime routines are effective. Children enjoy nutritious and home-cooked food provided by the nursery cook, and they use cutlery and chopsticks to eat their food. They discuss food that is healthy and unhealthy and sing songs while waiting patiently for their lunch.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their families are very well supported. Staff provide children with early intervention to ensure that they can actively participate in all aspects of the curriculum. The manager works in partnership with the local authority inclusion leader, early years advisory team and other professionals to support children with SEND effectively.
• The manager and staff have built strong relationships with parents. Parents are very happy with the communication and support provided by the key person about their children's development. They are impressed with the opportunity their children have to learn a different language, such as Mandarin.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• make better use of questioning during children's play and activities to increase their thinking skills
• maximise opportunities for children to take appropriate risks and challenges to enhance their resilience and independence further.