K.E.S Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, confident and settled at this inclusive nursery. They form secure relationships with the nurturing staff team who know them and their families very well. Staff thoughtfully plan an ambitious curriculum that supports children's development across all areas of learning. All children make good progress from their starting points.

Children engage in a wide range of interesting play activities. They listen attentively to stories read by enthusiastic staff and excitedly join in with action songs and rhymes. This helps develop children's growing vocabulary and early literacy skills. Children behave well and respond positively to staffs' consistent expectations. They play cooperatively with their friends and are learning to share and take turns. For example, during outdoor games, children develop social skills and think critically as they work together to align four large counters in a row. They use their senses to explore textures, such as rainbow- coloured rice, sand and water. Staff sit alongside children to support their play. They introduce mathematical language, such as 'full' and 'empty' to describe the quantities children create. Staff provide resources which float and sink to further children's learning. Pre-school children learn how different materials respond in water and make predictions about what will happen as they place the items into the water tray.

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

• The dedicated provider also manages this welcoming nursery. She and her enthusiastic staff team have a good knowledge and understanding of how children learn and develop. They use their knowledge of each child's current interests and abilities to plan activities that are targeted precisely on what children need to learn next. This helps children to make the best possible progress in their learning and development.
• Staff successfully support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to make good progress. They work in close partnership with parents and external professionals, including the local authority inclusion team and health visitors, to develop and implement targeted support plans that meet each child's individual needs.
• Staff teach children how to keep themselves safe in everyday situations. For example, they explain the importance of wearing sunhats and sunscreen when playing outside. However, staff are yet to provide children with a range of experiences to help them develop an early awareness of online safety to help keep themselves safe when using digital technology.
• Staff support children's overall well-being through good hygiene, care routines and activities that promote physical and mental health. They gently manage personal care and encourage regular handwashing, helping children build good hygiene habits. Daily yoga sessions help children relax and develop strength, balance, and focus. However, staff do not currently provide enough opportunities to support children's understanding of good oral health to further develop their awareness of how to look after their teeth as part of a healthy lifestyle.
• Staff establish effective partnerships with local schools that children will move on to. They invite teachers into the nursery to meet children in a familiar environment and share detailed information about each child's individual needs. This well-planned approach supports children's emotional well-being and helps them build early relationships with their new teachers, easing any anxiety about the upcoming move to school.
• Staff establish good relationships with parents from the outset. They keep parents well informed about their children's time at the nursery. Staff speak to them at drop off and collection times and provide parents with written termly progress reports. Parents are very happy with the service the nursery provides. They state their children are always happy to attend. Parents value the great communication from the wonderful and caring staff .
• The provider actively supports staff in their professional development, encouraging continuous improvement. Staff engage in a range of training opportunities to enhance their already good practice. For example, following recent training, they reviewed and strengthened their approach to mathematics provision. Staff are very happy in their roles and comment on the excellent support they receive from the provider for their well-being.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support children to build the knowledge and skills needed to navigate digital environments safely
• provide children with a wider range of experiences to help them understand how to care for their teeth as part of a healthy lifestyle.