Jack & Jill's Childcare Plympton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children excitedly enter the nursery and are keen to engage in the variety of educational activities available. Staff welcome families and support children to hang up their belongings ready for the day ahead.

The curriculum is designed well and staff know what children need to learn. Staff implement small-group activities for children to support their focus and concentration. For instance, babies enjoy listening to short stories, where they point to the illustrations. Toddlers join in with nursery rhymes and use sign language and simple sentences to communicate. Pre-school children learn about the alphabet and the sounds that link to letters, such as 'h' for 'hamster'. All children sustain attention and engage well.

Children have a positive attitude to learning and show a willingness to cooperate. They enjoy being selected for 'Helper of the day' and proudly wear a sticker to show their role. Children talk about how they shake the tambourine to inform their peers to 'stop and listen', such as when it is time for snack. Children respond with enthusiasm, helping to tidy away the resources. They know and follow routines well and what is expected of them. Children feel safe and secure.

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

• Children develop a strong understanding of oral health. They identify which foods are healthy and unhealthy and talk about the importance of brushing teeth twice a day. They use plastic teeth moulds and demonstrate how to clean these with toothbrushes. Staff extend the activity by talking to children about 'fluoride' and discuss children's experiences of going to the dentist.
• The nursery supports service families well. Staff use effective strategies to support children's understanding of feelings. Staff read specific books and use beanbags with different emotions on to help children talk about how they feel when a special person goes away. They help children to develop resilience and how to re-adjust once their family member has returned from overseas. Children talk about emotions during play, such as when completing jigsaw puzzles that illustrate different moods.
• Staff support children's mathematical development well. Older babies independently count to two while they tidy away the plastic balls. Toddlers learn basic shapes, such as circle and square. Pre-school children enjoy making pictures using wooden shapes. Staff talk to them about shapes' properties, such as how many sides and edges they have. However, at times, staff do not always help children to recall prior knowledge or plan activities specifically for children's individual needs to help them build on their existing skills.
• Children develop their hand-eye coordination well. Younger children make marks outside in the sand tray using tools and toy cars, showing fascination in the patterns. Older children enjoy using shaving foam. They confidently use brushes and their fingers in the foam to write the letters of their name in preparation for early writing.
• Overall, partnership with parents is effective. Parents report on the friendly staff who settle children quickly. They comment on the daily information from staff about what their child has been learning at nursery. Parents say that they receive help from staff, such as advice on how to start potty training children at home. However, staff do not consistently work with parents who are new to the nursery to retrieve ongoing information around children's individual needs, to further support their development.
• Staff have high levels of well-being. The leadership team ensures that staff have access to relevant professional organisations where they can seek advice and support if required. Regular management meetings help staff to share and reflect on good practice to benefit children. For example, children take part in litter picking in the local community and learn about the importance of looking after the environment.
• Staff attend training to keep their knowledge updated. They use this to implement specific programmes to support children's communication skills, such as encouraging children to blow feathers to strengthen their mouth muscles. Staff are effective role models and help younger children to develop their understanding. They encourage children to repeat words back using actions to support this. Younger children learn to speak in simple sentences before moving into the pre-school area. Older children communicate their needs well using full sentences, in preparation for school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan activities more effectively to help children build on their existing skills and recall prior knowledge
• consistently obtain information from parents around children's individual needs, to further support their development.