Kiddie Capers, Cuckfield

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff warmly welcome children as they arrive to start their day. Children are familiar with the routine of finding their name and choosing a peg to hang their bag on. Throughout the day, children show high levels of engagement as they access the various learning opportunities that staff have organised for them. For instance, children enjoy emptying and filling containers with sand, which helps them to develop their physical skills.

Children generally behave well and are friendly towards staff and their peers. Staff supervise the children effectively, and promptly intervene when children need support to modify their behaviour. More-experienced staff extend this further by encouraging children to think about how they can resolve their own conflicts. Children respond well to this and remember that they can use the sand timers to take turns to share the resources. This gives them opportunities to practise overcoming difficulties.

Staff have high expectations for all children to make good progress. They successfully implement adult-led activities to build on children's knowledge. Staff adapt teaching to support children at their different levels of development. For example, children focus their attention on playing with coloured letters in jelly. Staff introduce the sounds of the letters to older children, while younger children are encouraged to learn the names of colours. This enables children to receive targeted support that is appropriate to their stage of development.

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

• Leaders have designed a curriculum that aims to provide children with a rich set of experiences to support their ongoing development. Staff spend time getting to know children well so that they can plan effectively for their continued learning. This enables staff to arrange the learning environment so that it stimulates children's engagement and meets their needs.
• Staff regularly track children's progress in order to assess where they are in their development. Staff share relevant information with parents, particularly when they have identified delays in children's learning. This enables them to work in partnership to ensure that referrals are made in a timely manner. This helps to ensure that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive the support they need to achieve the best possible outcomes.
• Children benefit from opportunities to develop their physical skills. For instance, they take turns to walk along a balance beam. Staff appropriately adapt the level of support they offer children, depending on their individual abilities. This helps children to progress at their own pace. Staff consider ways to extend this further by adding 'stepping stones' to this activity. Children enjoy this additional challenge, which encourages them to move their bodies in different ways.
• Staff are kind and attentive, which supports children to develop secure bonds with them. This helps children to feel comfortable in their surroundings and to settle quickly at nursery. Babies regularly check in with their key person and indicate that they need a cuddle or reassurance. Children are also keen to share their achievements with staff after they have completed a task. Staff respond appropriately, which strengthens children's confidence to engage with them.
• Experienced members of staff are effective at supporting children to develop their language skills. This includes talking to children during their activities and introducing descriptive words. For instance, as children spend time playing with jelly, staff talk to them about it being 'squishy' and 'wobbly'. This enables children to hear different words. However, newer members of staff do not consistently support children's language skills during child-led activities. This does not fully support children to broaden and build on their growing vocabulary.
• Parents appreciate the care and support that staff provide for their children. Leaders ensure that the nursery is inclusive of all children and they implement strategies so that they can continue to meet children's needs. Children enjoy attending the setting and they benefit from a range of activities to promote their learning.
• Leaders consider ways to help to prepare children for when they move up to school. For example, they work in partnership with the local schools and invite them to visit the nursery. This provides children with opportunities to get to know their new teachers to help them to adjust to the next stage of their learning journey.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop further coaching, mentoring and support for new staff to help them to strengthen the quality of their interactions with children during child-led activities.