Kids & Co

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily engage in daily routines and activities staff provide. They confidently choose what they wish to play with and actively seek out others to share their experiences. Staff are respectful towards children. For example, they ask for consent before changing their nappy and positively praise them for their involvement in activities such as encouraging them to select stickers as a reward. This brings smiles to children's faces and fosters a sense of pride.

Leaders and staff know children well. They gather information about children's behaviours, needs and challenges upon entry, as well as their current stage of development. This enables them to identify specific areas of learning that require greater focus such as communication and language and personal, social and emotional development. Staff support children's progress through activities such as reading books, role play and exploring cultural experiences.

Children develop skills that promote their independence. For example, when developmentally ready, staff encourage them to carry out tasks such as cutting up their own fruit, pouring drinks and washing their hands. Staff use visual aids to support children who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to understand important practices such as washing their hands after sneezing. This helps to promote children's health and hygiene.

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

• Leaders are highly reflective. For example, they regularly gather feedback from parents and carers to drive improvements and evaluate the most effective ways to engage them in their children's learning. Staff observe children, adapting strategies and session times to meet their individual needs. They implement smaller group times to enable them to better support all children's development.
• Leaders are extremely passionate and have a clear vision for the nursery. In-house training is arranged to enhance staff skills, with specific targets set for their professional development. Staff practice is monitored through peer observations and supervisions, and evaluation forms are used to assess the impact training has on both staff and children.
• Staff regularly share information with parents, covering topics such as online safety, tooth brushing, and safer sleep. Parents are highly satisfied with the nursery, highlighting the extensive progress their children have made across many areas of learning. They appreciate having the opportunity to spend time in the nursery with their children and the ideas that staff give them to enhance learning at home.
• Leaders make effective use of early years funding to meet the needs of eligible children. This is done alongside staff and parents. Leaders recognise the importance of children becoming positive members of their community and plan to allocate future funding to provide broader learning opportunities through community activities. They confidently measure the impact funding has on children's outcomes.
• Staff ensure that children hear plenty of spoken words. For instance, they provide commentary while children play, ask simple questions and use signing and pictures to reinforce language. Consequently, children who speak English as an additional language progress from knowing a few English words to forming sentences. However, staff do not always provide children with enough opportunities to regularly practise their speaking skills. This may limit further progress in this area.
• Staff confidently support children with SEND such as helping them to engage successfully in play and learning alongside their peers. This promotes their inclusion. Speech and language tools are used to monitor communication skills, helping staff identify any gaps in children's learning. Staff seek additional training and support from external professionals to improve children's outcomes.
• Staff support children's mathematical learning by introducing language relating to size, such as 'big' and 'small', and velocity, such as 'fast' and 'slow'. This encourages children to race their toy cars down the ramp, saying 'vroom' to imitate the speed. Staff provide timely corrections to any misconceptions such as when children mistake the number three for five.
• Staff provide children with opportunities to revisit learning, such as introducing a 'sign of the week'. Children with SEND are seen using these signs spontaneously. For example, they sign and say 'goodbye' to their peers when leaving an activity. This shows the positive impact teaching has on children's development.
• Staff take a calm and consistent approach to support children's behaviour. They encourage children to express themselves, ensuring that minor disruptions are not reinforced. For example, when children accidentally splash their peers in the water, staff provide them with a sponge and encourage them to help clean the cars. This helps children focus on more constructive activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to reflect on staff practice to identify areas where teaching can be improved, such as by providing children with more opportunities to practise their speaking skills.