Honey Pot Childcare Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are extremely engaged in their play, with exceptionally positive attitudes to learning. They are highly competent at discovering and observing cause and effect. For example, children describe how ice melts into water as it warms up. Children are very confident. Skilled staff encourage them to test out their own ideas. For example, children experiment with oranges and lemons and observe what happens when they squeeze them. The key-person system is highly effective. Staff know all children extremely well, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They have a detailed knowledge of what children are interested in and what they need to achieve next.

The exceptionally motivating environment is planned around the interests and needs of children. For example, communication-friendly spaces have been created throughout the setting, allowing children the opportunity to develop their language skills. Learning starts immediately and children are extremely motivated. They demonstrate curiosity and pleasure as they participate in activities of their choice or those led by adults. Children exhibit advanced concentration and perseverance skills that far exceed expectations for their age. Their behaviour is faultless. Children show respect and kindness for both adults and their peers.

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

• The leadership team and staff are inspiring. They continually evaluate the impact that teaching and practice has on children. Leaders have a clear vision and high expectations of the staff team. They regularly spend time in all areas of the nursery and provide coaching and mentoring to all staff, to ensure that there is continuous improvement in their teaching. Leaders provide staff with extensive opportunities for internal professional development and further qualifications, such as 'bridge to management' training. As a result, morale is high, and the nursery has a long-standing team of staff who feel extremely well supported.
• Children, including children with SEND, thrive in all aspects of their development. Staff liaise very closely with parents and other professionals when completing required assessments. This helps to ensure that each child receives precisely the support they need. Managers use additional funding superbly to target specific areas of development for individual children and swiftly reduce any gaps in their learning.
• Staff fully embed a love of books into every part of the setting. They create inviting and cosy reading dens, which encourage children to explore the wide range of books on offer, both inside and outside. Staff use children's favourite stories to engage them in play. For example, children carefully unwrap a present as they recreate the story 'Dear Zoo'.
• Teaching is exceptional. Staff have an in-depth knowledge of the curriculum and how children learn. They skilfully plan activities based on children's interests and effortlessly build on their previous knowledge as they play. This allows staff to skilfully thread learning through their conversations with children. For example, while making soup, children use a range of resources to chop the vegetables. They understand that plastic scissors will not cut through a potato and recognise that the equipment needs to be washed first to stop the spread of germs. As a result, children are highly motivated, and make quick and continuous progress.
• Children learn about the world around them through a rich variety of experiences and activities. For example, as part of the 'eco-school' they completed a local beach clean. They then introduced recycling stations within the nursery. The children demonstrate an impressive understanding the importance of recycling. Furthermore, children make regular donations to the food bank and understand the importance of making contributions where they can. This helps children to understand life in modern Britain.
• There are excellent relationships with parents. Staff provide an abundance of home-learning activities supporting several areas of development. For example, parents take home activities that support them to encourage their child to recognise and talk about shapes in the environment. Activities such as these help to deepen children's understanding of mathematical concepts in the environment around them.