Kiddywinks Neighbourhood Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily enter the nursery where they are met by their key person on arrival. Staff offer a warm welcome and ask children how they are today. They ask parents for any key information about how their children have been to ensure they can care for children's needs. For example, staff ask about babies' sleep patterns and consider if they need to make any changes to their normal sleep time. Staff support children's developing independence and sense of self. For instance, children learn to select their name card before adding it to their coat peg. They then hang their own bags and coats before taking off their shoes independently and putting them in a basket.

The children benefit from a curriculum that focuses on building children's love of learning and exploration. Staff use questions to support children's problem solving and how to think for themselves. For instance, they ask older children what animals they think will be living under logs before checking. They encourage children to make links to books they have read in the nursery about habitats to access previous knowledge and guide their thinking. Staff encourage children to think about what materials they want to make aeroplanes from and which will work best. Children enjoy investigating and discussing why some materials work better than others. Children are highly motivated in their play and show confidence in their choices. They select resources they want to play with and tell staff what they would like to do.

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

• Staff know children well. They find out what children can do before starting at the nursery and regularly observe them to create relevant next steps in their learning and development. They use this knowledge to support and challenge children during their play. Children benefit from this targeted approach and they make progress from their starting points.
• Staff work closely with parents and professional who support children's development. They share information about children and work together to plan for children's progress. For example, staff provide daily updates for parents and discuss children's progress with other settings that children attend. They use this information when planning for children so they achieve the best possible outcomes.
• Staff develop children's communication and language skills effectively. For example, they teach babies and younger children sign language so they can communicate their needs. Older children benefit from a focus on learning ambitious vocabulary that challenges them. For instance, they learn the word 'mystery' and later excitedly tell their friends 'it is a mystery. Where has it gone? I love a mystery'.
• Leaders provide regular supervisions and support to improve the quality of staff's practice. They focus on staff learning from their colleagues and celebrating best practice. For instance, staff add the best activity they have planned that week to a board and explain how it supported children's learning. Staff say this makes them feel valued, builds respect between the staff and challenges them to constantly improve.
• Overall, children behave well. Staff teach children to respect others. For example, children learn to be kind to insects they find as they are 'living things'. However, staff are not consistent in teaching children the behaviours expected of them at routine times, such as lunchtimes and carpet times. For instance, they do not remind older children of the rules of carpet time or encourage them to join in. As a result, some children do not benefit from the learning opportunities offered and at times disrupt the learning of others.
• Staff support children's health and physical skills. Older children build strength and stamina in the garden while pushing tyres up a hill. They use large blocks inside to build houses and rockets. Babies develop their strength and balance and learn to sit up unaided as they dig and pour sand from jugs. Children build healthy eating habits. They enjoy eating a range of nutritious foods offered by the nursery at snack and lunchtimes and learn which foods and drinks are good for our bodies and teeth.
• Leaders and staff assess risks in the setting. For example, they conduct daily checks in the garden and regularly check resources to see if they are broken. However, staff do not teach children to assess risks for themselves and the possible consequences of their actions. For example, staff do not explain why they are asking children to not do things, such as climbing on tables or bookshelves. Children do not always understand how to keep themselves and others around them safe.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all children to understand the rules and behaviours expected at routine times, so they continue to benefit from the learning opportunities provided
• improve children's understanding of the possible risks and consequences of their actions, so they are better able to assess risks for themselves.