Kiddie Capers Nursery And Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly on arrival at the nursery and happily engage in a wide range of activities. They develop good relationships with their key person, who fully understands children's learning needs and styles. Staff use their knowledge in their interactions with children, building on what children need to learn next. For example, when children played with the chalks, the key person engaged them in conversations about the differing colours.

All children develop a love of outdoor play and relish exploring the wide variety of messy play. For example, they explored a tray with mud, mushy peas and breakfast cereals all set out as a farm. Children observed what happened to the cereal when they added water and how things felt to touch. Staff successfully pick up on non-verbal ques from babies. For example, they identify when they would like to explore the areas in the garden and ask if they would like to do so. Babies show great delight as they watch the bubbles floating away. They learn to blow through the holes in the wand and manage to blow the bubbles. This supports children's facial muscles in readiness for forming sounds and words. Staff animatedly praise and encourage the babies, increasing their confidence and emotional well-being.

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

• The manager understands what children know and what they need to learn next. She supports her staff to use a mix of planned activities that they base upon children's interests, and those that children choose themselves. This means that, overall, the curriculum engages children and ignites their imaginations as it captures their interest.
• The manager ensures that the curriculum for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is ambitious. She seeks support from other professionals promptly. This helps to ensure that all children make the progress that they are capable of.
• Children thoroughly enjoy the role play opportunities that stem from their current interests and experiences. For example, they readily made and sold ice creams from their parlour. Children made the balls of ice-cream from play dough and used coloured rice as sprinkles. These were resources from other activities, and they used their imaginations to extend their learning.
• Children take part in many creative activities. However, sometimes, staff overly direct the activities they plan. This means that children do not always have the freedom to be expressive and they occasionally lose interest in the activity.
• Staff use additional funding successfully to build on and strengthen children's development. For example, they purchase resources that are pertinent to each child's learning needs, such as those for literacy.
• Babies and children show great levels of concentration and persist at their chosen play for long periods. They dig for the dinosaur bones hidden in the sand pit and use their physical skills to use tools to move the sand.
• Children receive good levels of support from staff to help them work together and take turns. Staff give children clear explanations as to the consequences of their actions. This enhances their awareness of managing their emotions and of gaining a secure understanding of tolerance and mutual respect.
• Children develop a keen interest in books and stories. However, staff do not consistently use the correct pronunciation of the sounds of letters as they add extra sounds. This does not aid in children learning how to blend sounds together as they learn to read.
• Partnerships with parents are good and parents talked positively about the staffing team. For example, they comment that staff provide the 'highest quality care' and they have 'gone above and beyond' to make sure that their child is 'included, supported, safe and happy'. Staff canvas parents' views and implement well-targeted improvements. For example, parents compliment staff for their communication and daily written and verbal feedback.
• Staff receive effective support in their roles. They have good opportunities to extend their knowledge and professionalism. They also comment highly of the support from other staff and leaders. The leadership team incentivises the staff effectively, for example through rewards systems and access to counselling services. Leaders also work with staff to support their well-being, for example by reducing and/or amending working hours and patterns.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen planned activities to ensure they are not overly adult directed
• build on staff's knowledge of consistency in using the correct pronunciation of letters and their sounds.