Kiddies Kottage Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are confident and happy in this warm, organised nursery. Staff ensure that babies settle well by providing routines and toys that are familiar to them. They interact warmly with children and highly value each child. Staff display photos of children's families to enhance their sense of belonging in the nursery. They manage children's behaviour in positive ways, such as by sharing group rules. Staff use a gentle, fair and consistent approach, and children behave well.

The curriculum is well organised and stimulating and all children make good progress in their learning. Staff teach children good mathematical skills. They teach children to count as they build towers with bricks. Staff teach children how to group coloured pom-poms in bowls and point out shapes in the environment. Staff support children's physical development well. Babies crawl through tunnels while older children climb across frames in the outdoor area. They learn to balance on scooters and develop good physical skills. Staff help children to understand a range of feelings well. They ask children how they are feeling and use visual resources, such as illustrated cushions, to teach children different emotions. Children develop a good understanding of feelings.

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

• Staff support children's creative skills effectively. For instance, children enjoy using play dough to make 'spiders', and they create pictures, using paint and chalk. Babies explore a range of materials, including shiny metal and different fabrics, which develops their exploratory skills.
• Children develop good independence skills. They demonstrate this when they collect their lunch plates and pour their own drinks at lunchtime. At snack time, they help themselves to fruit and put away their used plates and cups. Staff teach children how to put their coats and shoes on. Children learn to share and take turns, such as when using wheeled toys in the garden.
• Staff have effective partnerships with parents and provide daily updates on children's progress. Staff invite parents into the nursery to read stories to children to support their learning. Staff work well with parents to support children's development, for example, in areas such as potty training.
• Leaders support the staff team well. They review their work in regular individual meetings with staff and provide support where needed. Leaders also film staff at work with children and analyse this to help the staff member to enhance practice. Leaders are committed to staff development, and staff attend a variety of courses. For instance, they attended a course on managing children's behaviour, which led to better outcomes in this area.
• Leaders review all aspects of the nursery and set relevant goals for improvement. For instance, they plan to enhance children's personal and social development to promote best outcomes for children.
• Staff prioritise children's safety. They check all parts of the nursery, indoors and outdoors, and toys and resources, to reduce the risk of hazards. Staff's suitability is paramount. Leaders carry out a series of background checks on staff to help ensure that they are suitable for their roles.
• Children have good understanding of the world. Staff plant seeds with children in the garden and teach them how things grow. They teach children about minibeasts, for example, by reading books and going on hunts around the garden for different insects.
• Leaders ensure that children have nutritious meals and snacks and access to fresh drinking water. Staff help children to understand the value of eating well through discussion and books.
• Generally, children acquire good communication, language and literacy skills. For example, staff sing songs and rhymes and read stories to teach children new words. They support babies' language development, for example, by teaching them the names of everyday objects. Overall, staff are attentive and interact well with children to support their learning. However, at times, staff do not plan well enough to question children effectively as they play, to extend their skills even further.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• make the most of opportunities to enhance children's thinking skills, particularly through effective questioning by staff.