Kiddiecare Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled at the nursery. They enjoy learning and exploration in a safe and secure environment. Children grow in confidence and develop positive attitudes towards learning because staff have high expectations of them. Children who need extra help are well supported. For example, the manager and staff work with parents to develop targeted plans to support children's development. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), those in receipt of funding and those who speak English as an additional language make good progress from their starting points.

Children benefit from regular access to fresh air and begin to learn how to grow plants and care about nature. They master their physical skills, including outdoors. For example, they enjoy balancing and confidently use scooters and tricycles. Children enjoy sharing books with staff and develop a love for reading. They eagerly show the visitors the caterpillars they look after at the nursery and explain how they will turn into butterflies. This shows children's growing understanding of the world. Children respond readily to staff's requests, such as tidying up. They are kind and respectful of one another, learn to share and behave well.

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

• The new manager has worked tirelessly and made significant changes to the quality of the provision. For example, she worked closely with the local authority advisers to address weaknesses identified at the last inspection. The manager evaluates the practice effectively to identify areas for further development to benefit children.
• The manager arranges a range of staff training to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the setting's procedures. For example, staff attended training to help them develop an understanding of positive behaviour management. Children benefit from clear and consistent messages from staff, and this helps them understand their actions and manage their emotions positively.
• Staff often build on what children already know and challenge them in their learning. For example, they test children's mathematical skills during play. Children learn about positional language and count in sequence.
• The key-person system is effective. Staff gather effective information from parents about children's care and learning when they first start. Children settle in well and soon develop strong bonds with their key person and other staff.
• The management team and staff have effective systems in place to support children with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language. They find out about children's home language vocabulary from parents and use visual pictures to support children's understanding and language development. However, there are occasions when some staff do not always allow children sufficient time to think and respond to questions or use questioning to build on their vocabulary.
• Staff know children well. They plan a high-quality curriculum and use assessments effectively to identify any gaps in children's learning. Staff plan for children's learning by considering their next steps. Staff consider children's abilities when planning for children's learning. However, they do not always follow children's interests to build on their learning even further.
• Children naturally learn about how to lead a healthy lifestyle. They enjoy nutritious food at mealtimes and talk to staff about where fruit and vegetables grow. Children learn about good personal hygiene and understand the importance of regular handwashing.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents speak highly of the new manager and staff for being committed to children's learning. They regularly share information about children's learning from the setting and home. This helps to provide consistency in children's development.
• Children enjoy participating in a range of activities to fulfil their sensory needs. For example, they explore the texture of lentils, practise pouring the coloured water and make shapes out of play dough.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider children's interests when planning for their learning
• provide children with enough time to answer questions to further support their thinking and communication and language skills