Incredible Kids

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and are eager to start their learning. They form strong bonds with staff, who are attentive to children's individual needs, helping them to feel safe and secure. Staff recognise when babies are tired and settle them to sleep in cots when they are ready. When toddlers wake from a nap, staff greet them with a 'hello' and reassuring cuddle. Pre-school children share a sense of fun and enjoyment as they laugh with staff, who join in enthusiastically with their play. Staff have consistent expectations of children's behaviour. They teach children the rules and expectations in a way that they understand. Children play well together; they learn to share and take turns from a young age.

The manager and staff work together to plan and provide an ambitious curriculum that takes account of the needs and interests of all children. They provide a broad range of interesting activities and resources, both indoors and outside, that entice children to want to explore and investigate. Children eagerly take part in forest school activities. Staff teach children about the environment and the world around them. For example, children listen intently as staff explain how they must be gentle when picking up a snail and why they must be careful not to touch butterflies' wings. Children recall how they have learned that bees collect pollen to make honey. Children show positive attitudes to learning and are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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

• Leaders and managers are reflective. They consistently evaluate the quality of the provision and have a clear action plan to continually develop the nursery to meet the care and learning needs of the children that attend. Robust recruitment and induction procedures ensure that staff are suitable, and understand their roles and responsibilities. Leaders and managers recognise the importance of valuing staff's well-being. Professional development opportunities are regularly encouraged to help staff to continue to build on their practice and skills.
• Staff ensure that children are ready and well prepared for their next stage in learning. Children benefit from well-planned transitions as they move from one room to the next in the nursery. Staff in the pre-school room focus on promoting children's independence and social skills. They work closely with local schools, sharing important information about the children and providing opportunities for them to meet the teachers, aiding a smooth transition.
• Staff are enthusiastic teachers and, overall, they support children's communication and language skills well. They speak to children as they play, sing songs and actions rhymes and read stories as part of everyday practice. Staff introduce new and complex vocabulary to pre-school children, such as majestic and anatomy. Toddlers hear lots of repetitive language and are given plenty of time to respond to questions. Staff in the baby room narrate and repeat language. However, these interactions are not always consistent in order to further support young children's developing language.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The knowledgeable special educational needs coordinators (SENCo) work closely with staff, parents and outside agencies. They quickly identify where children may need extra support and put effective individual plans in place to support them. Additional funding is used effectively to meet children's individual needs.
• The staff know the children well. They complete accurate assessments of all children and use this information to plan the environment and activities that build on what children already know and can do. Children have independent access to a broad range of resources. Children are generally confident to explore the large, open-plan play spaces. However, at times, younger children become overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next. As a result, there are times when they are not engaged in purposeful play and learning.
• Staff ensure parents are kept well informed and involved in their children's care and learning. Staff gather valuable information when children first start and maintain this two-way exchange of information. They provide regular updates through an online application, discussions on children's arrival and collection, and at planned parents' evenings. Parents speak highly of the setting, and comment how well staff know their children, and that they are safe and well cared for.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to build on their skills to further support younger children's communication and language skills
• develop the indoor play space to support younger children to consistently engage in purposeful play and learning.