Just for Kidz

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress from their starting points in learning. They enjoy their time in this engaging, child-centred and language-rich environment. Staff gather relevant information about each child so that they understand what each child knows and needs to learn next. They use this information to plan a sequenced curriculum helping children gain new knowledge. Staff treat each child as an individual and provide an inclusive environment. Children settle well and form close bonds with their key person and friends. Children demonstrate that they are happy, content and feel safe. They confidently greet the inspector and engage in interesting conversations with her. For example, children talk about their recent visit to 'big school' and share their stories about a recent holiday at the seaside. Children learn about their own cultural heritage and about the local community where they live. They enjoy trips to the local park.

Children behave well and show positive attitudes towards their learning. Babies giggle with delight while exploring sensory toys. They listen to the story of 'Dear Zoo' and point to the different animals. Toddlers show good concentration and coordination skills as they play in the water, filling and emptying different-sized pots. Pre-school children sing the graduation song which is familiar to them. They delight in showing the inspector the actions to their special song.

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

• Children listen carefully to staff's instructions and understand what is expected of them during the day. For example, children line up when it is time to go outside to play. They know to walk next to the wall, away from the road to access the outdoor area. They wait patiently for their turn to wash their hands and line up to serve their dinner.
• Staff have a strong focus on children's personal, social and emotional development across the nursery. They identified that children were less confident in this area when they returned to nursery after the COVID-19 pandemic. To support them, staff reorganised the learning environment and provided activities that encouraged children to play together. This helped children to take account of others and improve their social skills.
• The deputy manager and special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) know children very well, including those children who need additional support. The SENCo observes children regularly to assess what they can do and to identify many of the skills they need to learn next. She focuses on closing any gaps in children's learning and experiences. The SENCo is passionate about her role and as a result, the support for children with SEND is very good. She identifies any potential issues early on and seeks external support and advice when necessary.
• Parents are fully involved in the process.
• Staff effectively support children's communication skills. They use songs and rhymes to develop children's understanding of common words and language patterns. They speak slowly and clearly to children, repeating words and modelling sentences, so that they hear the correct way to say them. Children who speak English as an additional language are encouraged to speak their home languages, and staff use words and phrases to encourage them.
• Staff promote children's good health. Children learn about, and can recognise, which foods are healthy and not healthy, and talk to staff about the differences. They understand the importance of regular physical activity and know why they should look after their teeth.
• Staff plan a wealth of activities that ignite older children's love of learning. However, staff do not always consider the concentration and engagement levels of the youngest children, during planned group activities. This means that younger children sometimes lose interest in their learning.
• The manager and deputy are dedicated leaders. They involve staff, parents and children in their ongoing reflection and when planning future improvements to the nursery. The manager works with staff, observing them as they work with children. She meets with staff to discuss their role, agree professional development targets and to plan future training. However, the targets which are set for staff do not always fully support them in raising the quality of their teaching to the highest level.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend learning opportunities for younger children during group activities, enabling them to sustain their concentration and make more progress
• provide more targeted and precise support to each member of staff, helping them to enhance their teaching skills to the highest level.