Jungle Cubs And Jungle Giants Cic

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The nursery is set up to feel like home with comfy armchairs to relax in and soft lighting. The atmosphere is calm, and children enjoy their time at nursery, seeking others to play with.

The children are naturally inquisitive and take the opportunity to explore the many different interesting objects within the rooms and outdoors. For example, they enjoy experimenting with metal and china teapots to listen to the different sound they make when a spoon knocks against them. Pallets are creatively used to present resources at different heights and can be changed to suit the children attending. Children confidently make choices about what they play with and are at ease as they happily transport resources from room to room. They enjoy looking at themselves in mirrors and other shiny surfaces, and younger children begin to recognise themselves.

Children behave very well; staff support them to share and take turns. Children develop good manners as staff role model and encourage politeness by reminding children to say please and thank you, rewarding them with praise when they do.

Healthy habits are promoted through the routines of the day. For example, children know to wash their hands prior to eating. They are developing an understanding of healthy foods through planned activities and can try a range of foods at snack time. Children enjoy the outdoors and delight in chasing the bubbles outside.

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

• Staff pride themselves on knowing the children well. They understand the importance of attachment and are readily available to offer support. As a result, children regularly seek an adult for a cuddle or ask for help.
• Each member of staff takes responsibility to plan a range of exciting activities so that children develop their learning and understanding. However, for the youngest children, staff do not always target the area that makes the most difference and provide firm foundations for their future learning. Children's progress is carefully documented, and is recorded on an online journal and shared with parents for their comments.
• Staff value parents' views and input. On a termly basis, parents update staff about their children's interests and development so staff can incorporate the information into the planning. For example, some children like vehicles and are interested in how they move. One activity they thoroughly enjoy is to push their cars down a plank of wood and watch how far they roll. Children really engage which demonstrates their concentration.
• Staff model play and effectively introduce mathematical language. For example, children excitedly count to five before pushing their car and are encouraged to use comparative language, such as more or less, to measure which car went further.
• The nursery is set up to creatively use every part of it. For example, staff add soft furnishings in the space under the stairs so that children can enjoy some quiet time and a book in a cosy area.
• Snack and lunch are social times. Staff skilfully interact with children. They ask open-ended questions and are careful to allow the children time to think of their answer.
• Children develop good physical skills by using ride-on toys and balance bikes, where they practise using their bodies to move quickly. Staff scaffold their learning and demonstrate how to use a resource. For example, a member of staff shows a child how to roll play dough on the table using a rolling pin.
• There are highly effective systems in place to monitor and support staff's practice. Staff benefit from regular supervisions, peer observations and an annual appraisal. All staff are actively involved in helping new staff to develop. Training is a priority and courses are selected that enhance staff's skills and promote children's learning.
• Staff work well with other professionals, such as the local authority, speech and language therapists and health visitors, to provide appropriate support for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to focus more precisely on helping younger children to continue to develop the essential skills needed for future learning.