Kiddi Caru Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this nursery. They arrive happily and are keen to engage in interesting activities, such as making their own play dough. Children develop strong bonds with staff, who are responsive and caring. Staff working with babies are attentive to babies' cues, offering reassurance as they gain confidence to explore their environment. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure as they actively engage staff in their play or take time to have a snuggle and a story.

Staff incorporate new concepts, such as mathematics, effectively into children's play. For example, staff introduce babies to 'fast' and 'slow' as they sing nursery rhymes at different speeds. Babies giggle and join in with the actions as they watch staff sing very quickly. Older children learn about quantity and measure as they make their own dough and explore consistency. Older children learn that numbers have values. They practise counting in sequence regularly. For instance, children discuss the date and clap their hands to correspond with the number of days that have passed in the month so far. This helps prepare children well for their next stage in learning.

Interesting activities engage children's curiosity and attention for significant periods. For example, during a painting activity, staff encourage children to experiment with and explore what secondary colours they can make. Children have the freedom to create their own concoctions and colours. Staff encourage children to observe how the paint changes as they mix colours together. Children learn that they can make different shades of purple as they mix quantities of red and blue. This helps children develop positive attitudes towards their learning.

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

• Leadership and management are effective. Staff benefit from regular supervision that focuses on their professional and personal development. Staff have access to a wide range of opportunities that enhance their practice. For example, staff reflect on recent baby training. They talk enthusiastically about the changes they are going to make to enhance the environment and extend babies' and children's experiences. Staff report that they feel supported, valued and are able to apply their own ideas. Staff feel that their contributions are valued by the leaders. This motivates and encourages staff to continuously improve. This is reflected in the progress children make during their time at the nursery.
• Children develop the skills they need to be effective communicators. For example, staff working with babies use single words and simple sentences while being careful to model pronunciation and provide babies with the time they need to process language. Staff working with older children provide commentary and introduce new descriptive language, such as 'stringy' when discussing spaghetti. Older children practise new words during conversations. For example, they describe the new outside flooring as 'springy' when chatting to staff in the garden.
• Children develop a love of stories. Staff read older children a familiar book about shapes and adventure. Staff maintain children's attention well, as they make the story interactive. Staff encourage children to make predictions and discuss points they find interesting. However, staff do not always use discussions to extend children's knowledge fully. For example, in the story, the character travels through a desert and a blizzard. Staff do not consider children's prior knowledge by explaining what these words mean. Although children make good progress from their starting points, not all children have the same experiences in developing a secure understanding of new information.
• Staff encourage children to learn to do things for themselves, helping to prepare them well for their eventual move to school. For example, during mealtimes, children pour their own drinks and serve themselves their meal. Older children support younger children in learning how to use cutlery and cut up their own food. Even babies start to learn self-care skills, as staff take them to the mirror to help them identify when they need to wipe their nose. Staff support children to learn techniques that promote good personal care.
• Children behave well and generally follow the rules. They are kind and considerate and recognise when their friends need help. Although staff are consistent at reminding children of the rules, they do not always take the time to explain why these are important. This means that not all children have the same quality of opportunities to develop an understanding of right and wrong.
• Partnership working is effective in providing children with a consistent approach to their learning and welfare. For example, staff work with other professionals that have an involvement in children's learning and care. They share information regularly and implement joint targets or monitoring tools. Staff communicate with parents daily through face-to-face contact and the online communication system. This creates a two-way flow of information, updating parents on children's progress and next steps in learning. Parents comment positively on the progress their children make during their time at the nursery. This includes developing new tastes, trying new foods and developing their communication skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• further develop children's understanding of right and wrong, by providing clear and consistent explanations as to why the rules are important
• enhance the quality and consistency of staff interactions, so that these are effective at extending children's knowledge and understanding of new information fully.