Kiddy Care Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily and settle quickly at this friendly nursery. They separate well from their parents, and staff encourage them to join in with activities of their choice. Staff provide an interesting learning environment that children explore with curiosity. Children have fun using large toothbrushes to practise brushing large models of teeth. Staff plan activities that build on what children already know and what they need to learn next.

Staff are gentle and kind to children. They encourage and support children to treat everyone with respect. Staff play alongside children and are joyful in their company. Children play happily alongside each other and are supported to share and take turns. Staff know their key children well and have good relationships with their parents.

Children enjoy the outdoor space and can play in the fresh air. They also visit local parks and forests to have the opportunity to run and learn about nature. Children are well behaved. Staff use pictures and models to encourage them to express how they feel. This helps children to regulate their emotions and learn strategies to use in the future.

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

• Staff promote children's health. They provide healthy meals and snacks and talk to children about healthy food choices. Children and staff use a juicer to make fresh fruit juice. Children make a shopping list and go to a local shop to find the fruit they need, including tropical fruit, such as guava. This helps children to taste and experience new opportunities to learn.
• Children learn to be independent. They follow good hygiene routines and learn how to keep themselves safe. They wash their hands after messy activities and use the toilet when needed. On arrival, staff encourage children to take off their coat and find their peg. Staff consistently offer praise and encourage children to keep trying.
• Children have good relationships with their key person. They spontaneously hug and cuddle staff and hold their hand if they need reassurance. All staff, including leaders, know and understand children well. They recognise when children are tired or upset and speak to them gently in a calm way. Staff encourage children to take turns and share resources. Therefore, children are kind to each other. Children build their self-esteem and feel safe and secure.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents praise staff and comment on how supportive and friendly they are. Parents are often involved in celebration days at the nursery and receive regular feedback about how their children are progressing. Parents support the staff by joining their children on outings to places such as museums.
• The manager is dedicated and passionate about her role. Staff feel that their well-being is supported, and they have access to a variety of training to support children's needs. The manager is confident in safeguarding practices and ensures that staff understand their responsibilities. The manager maintains strong links with the local authority and engages in external projects to share skills and knowledge. This supports staff's professional development and enhances their practice further.
• Staff support children who speak English as an additional language and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. Staff work closely with parents and professionals to ensure that children progress well. Some staff speak children's home languages and encourage children to use their home languages alongside English. Staff introduce children to new words, such as 'cavity' and 'lava', to add to their vocabulary. They repeat words and ask children questions. However, sometimes, staff do not give children enough time to think and respond. During these times, children's speech and language skills are not progressing.
• The manager is clear about how to offer children an exciting and ambitious curriculum. Most staff share her understanding and implement the curriculum well. However, the manager recognises that some less-confident staff need additional support and mentoring to incorporate individual children's next steps in learning into activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop children's communication and language skills by giving children enough time to respond to questions
• provide less-confident staff with additional support and mentoring to help them to incorporate what individual children need to learn next into activities.