Kido Battersea

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are excited to arrive at nursery and are warmly greeted by the friendly staff team. Staff build strong relationships with babies' from the start. They follow babies' personal routines and respond to their sounds and smiles, which helps them to feel safe and at home at the nursery. Older children are pleased to see their friends and give each other cuddles. They learn to cooperate and play together well. For example, they take turns to pour the ingredients to create a volcano eruption.

Children relish the opportunities to develop their physical skills outdoors. Staff teach them to jump over hurdles, balance on stepping stones and roll big tyres. Children gain confidence in their abilities as staff give them lots of praise and encouragement to try new skills. Children develop their imaginations as they join in with role play games, such as the hair salon and medical centre. Additionally, this helps children develop language skills and talk about their personal experiences.

The provider is highly ambitious for children's learning. The curriculum intent is well-sequenced so that children have opportunities to build on what they already know and can do. Staff focus on developing children's personal, social and emotional development so that they develop the skills they will need to start school, such as having confidence to ask for help and independently dress themselves.

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

• The quality of teaching is good. Staff have a good understanding of what it is they want children to learn. They interact well with children and model how to use resources. Staff introduce challenging new words during children's play, such as 'bandages' and 'eruption' which extends children's vocabulary. All children make good progress.
• Staff use their observations and assessments of children's learning effectively to identify the next steps in children's learning. Information is shared well between all members of staff and parents, which means children receive a consistent approach to their learning.
• At times, some activities are not tailored sufficiently to support all children to join in, particularly during group activities. This means some children are not challenged as much as they could be, or find the activity too challenging to maintain their attention. However, this does not impact on children's enjoyment of the planned activities overall.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disability (SEND) are identified and supported well. Staff liaise with parents to put plans in place to meet their needs. There are effective strategies in place to share information about children's progress.
• Children develop skills to become independent. Older children learn to use tongs to serve themselves at snack time and pour their own drinks. Staff teach children how to keep themselves safe, such as reminding them to sit down on their chair and explain the reason for this. This teaches children important skills for later life.
• Children generally behave well. Staff support children to follow the 'golden rules' such as using walking feet indoors. However, at times, children have to wait too long during transitions which leads to some children struggling to regulate their behaviour.
• Children develop positive attitudes to learning. Toddlers are curious to explore the texture of jelly and preserve to put on plastic gloves by themselves. Children have opportunities to practice these skills which means their learning is embedded well.
• Leaders and managers develop good partnerships with parents. Parents receive regular updates on their children's development through daily conversations and updates via a digital app. Parents speak highly of kind, nurturing staff and the many things their children learn.
• Staff feel well-supported by leaders and managers. They receive feedback on their practice and have opportunities to develop their skills through training and coaching. Staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities to support children learning.
• Leaders and managers are highly reflective. They frequently evaluate their provision and identify areas for further development. They develop links with other professionals, such as the local schools, to prepare children for the next stage in their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen transition planning throughout the day to support children manage their emotions and behaviour
• continue to develop group session planning so the needs of all children are consistently met.