Highview Kindergarten Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The well-established team of staff welcomes children with enthusiasm as they arrive. Children's emotional needs are prioritised by nurturing staff who take pride in the care they provide. Staff are calm and take opportunities to develop children's understanding of different feelings and emotions. Children explore books and talk about how the characters may be feeling. Children make connections with these emotions as they talk about how they are feeling throughout the day. Children display a strong sense of belonging in the setting. Staff are positive role models who demonstrate manners and respect. Children follow these expectations. They know the routines and eagerly take on tasks such as being the 'special helper', where they help to set up the table and give out plates to their friends. Children behave extremely well and play cooperatively, initiating games and showing care as they carefully look for spiders in the bushes outside together.

Leaders have implemented an aspirational curriculum that is based on a sound understanding of how children learn. Staff know the children and families well and use this knowledge to plan exciting activities that build on what children know and can do. Staff plan interesting, fun activities that widen children's experiences and enthuse their love of learning. They regularly assess the impact the curriculum is having on children's development to identify if they would benefit from additional support in their learning. This helps all children to make good progress in their learning.

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

• Staff carefully plan activities based on children's interests and what they need to learn next. Children show an eagerness to learn as they join the activities on offer. Children squeeze and roll dough and wait patiently to talk in large groups about their experiences. However, on occasion, these group times are not planned in a way that helps keep all children focused and engaged in their learning. This results in some children losing interest and wandering away when group sizes become too large or noise levels rise.
• Staff are highly effective at supporting children's communication and language development. They recognise when babies use early sign and model first words. Staff use meaningful interactions to test what children have remembered from the experiences they provide and then support children to move forward in their learning by asking questions and extending vocabulary. Children's communication and language skills flourish.
• Leaders place high importance on supporting children's physical development and well-being. They access training to ensure staff develop an understanding of the nutritional value and portion size of meals. Staff provide lots of access to outdoor activities and fresh air. Babies eagerly crawl over different surfaces, such as small bridges, and pull themselves up to see the exciting activities on offer. They show impressive skills as they scoop soil between containers. Older children run fast then slow on the signal of the adults. Children become confident in their physical abilities.
• Staff use core stories to help embed children's early literacy skills. Children remember phrases from their favourite stories and join in excitedly as staff read aloud to them. Babies cuddle up with staff and find their favourite pages, giggling as they find a fish and use the sign for fish confidently. Staff provide many opportunities for children to practise their early mark making with a range of tools. These experiences build strong foundations for children to develop their early literacy skills.
• Leaders are dedicated to the continuous improvement and progression of the nursery. They are proactive in monitoring staff practice through observations and regular supervisions, enabling them to support staff and identify training needs. Staff say they receive excellent support for their well-being and in their roles. This level of oversight and reflection from leaders helps all staff to build on their skills over time to ensure children receive high-quality care.
• Parents cannot praise the 'calm' and 'homely' setting that staff create any higher. Staff ensure parents are fully involved in nursery life through the excellent communication methods and respectful relationships that have been established. Staff provide parents with a wealth of information to support them in extending their children's learning at home. These strong partnerships help children to settle quickly and make good progress in their learning.
• Staff encourage children to express themselves through music and exploring a range of media and materials. Babies join in with the actions and words to their favourite songs, saying 'row, row'. They joyfully move their bodies along and make marks on paper as they listen to different music. Staff provide instruments for older children to explore as they sing, and introduce new language, such as xylophone. From a young age, children's creativity and language development are supported.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to plan learning experiences that help children to remain engaged and develop their concentration skills, particularly at group time.