Hilltop Tots Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide children with consistent attention and support in an exceptionally well-staffed environment. For example, during a baking activity, children leave their stations to gather fresh vegetables from the outdoors. Staff accompany them, ensuring the experiences of others remain undisturbed. Leaders prioritise children's needs in every decision made, such as installing hand dryers to prepare them for everyday sounds. This helps children to manage their emotions positively when away from the setting. Staff provide age-appropriate resources that allow children to explore their environment safely. For example, babies joyfully dig in edible soil with spades, enhancing their sensory development. Staff plan engaging experiences, such as visits to farms, allotments and shops, to enrich the curriculum. Children actively help to feed and pet the nursery goats. They learn about responsibility and how to care for animals.

Leaders make excellent use of additional funding to enhance the provision for disadvantaged children. For example, they have created a sensory room which offers children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) a safe space to settle before joining the wider room. This significantly enhances their emotional security. Staff communicate effectively and support one another, ensuring that everyone knows every child in their care well. This helps to foster strong relationships between staff and children. For instance, children with SEND express their happiness through nonverbal cues when they see familiar staff. When babies make a 'mmm' sound while eating, staff mirror the sound back, promoting early communication.

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

• By the time children go to school, they are articulate, confident and independent learners, thanks to the steady support of dedicated staff. For example, staff give babies the chance to practise wiping their hands independently before offering help. As children grow, they have opportunities to serve themselves lunch and scrape their plates. When a child accidentally drops their spoon, staff encourage them to wash it themselves, prompting them to think critically about cleanliness and hygiene. This helps children to acquire essential life skills.
• Staff make a strong effort to encourage children to make their own decisions. For example, they ask which tools and ingredients children would like to use for baking and go out of their way to ensure they have everything needed to bring their ideas to life. This boosts children's engagement in their learning.
• Staff introduce new words to promote children's vocabulary growth. For example, they use words such as splash and dig to deepen babies' understanding of their actions. They excitedly praise children when they use words, encouraging older children to recall prior experiences. At times, minor weaknesses in practice emerge, particularly in the way staff communicate with children. However, colleagues foster a highly supportive environment, and when children would benefit from further explanation, they often step in to fill the gaps. This ensures children thrive in an enriching learning environment.
• Leaders and staff build strong, mutually supportive relationships with other professionals, including those at other settings that children attend. For example, they observe children in these settings and consistently exchange relevant information with key persons. This ensures a consistent approach to children's learning. Parents and carers acknowledge staff's effectiveness in working with external professionals, noting that 'staff are highly receptive to their suggestions'.
• Leaders take proactive steps to offer personalised support for each child and family, such as providing a range of thoughtfully designed workshops and appointing a dedicated 'family support practitioner'. These initiatives offer parents valuable guidance and resources on various child-related topics. Parents say that staff listen to their concerns, saying, 'They go above and beyond.'
• Leaders understand the vital role that well-being plays in the success of the setting. Therefore, they actively invest in professional development to boost staff's confidence and skills, such as offering regular training courses and guidance. As a result, staff feel valued and take pride in being part of the setting.
• Ambitious plans are in place to create a truly sustainable setting. For example, enthusiastic leaders are introducing recycling initiatives to empower children to develop eco-friendly habits, such as properly disposing of food waste. Additionally, a structurally safe war bunker in the garden will be transformed into an exciting and imaginative learning space.
• There are procedures in place to hire suitable staff and ensure that only vetted individuals have unsupervised contact with children. Staff fully understand these procedures and work effectively to ensure compliance.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to enhance the quality of teaching by identifying and addressing some weaknesses in practice, creating an even stronger learning experience for children.