Kids Planet Astley Bridge

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff support children and families to settle into this inclusive and welcoming nursery. Leaders and staff develop positive relationships with children by getting to know and understand each child's personality and needs. Staff offer sensitive care. This helps children to develop secure emotional attachments to care givers. For example, babies excitedly raise their arms to be picked up. Older children seek out staff for reassurance and cuddles. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. Consequently, they are confident to explore the interesting environment and join in with the fun learning opportunities that staff provide.

Children engage in their play with a 'can-do' attitude. This is because staff encourage and praise them for making choices and taking appropriate risks. Staff provide interactions for children that support their developing communication skills. This enables children to use their growing language to talk about their own ideas, interests and needs. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Staff provide access to a range of sensory learning experiences, such as splashing barefoot in water and making marks in paint. Children take pleasure in these activities. Staff talk to children about the expectations for behaviour. For example, they ask the toddlers to use 'kind hands' when sitting together for story time. This means children are supported to learn how to regulate their behaviour appropriately.

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

• The newly appointed manager is keen to provide the highest quality of care and education. She is well supported in her role by other senior leaders. However, evaluation and monitoring of the setting's effectiveness sometimes lack precision. Consequently, leaders do not identify that some areas of the curriculum are not as well understood and implemented by staff.
• Leaders devise the curriculum to focus on developing children's personal, physical and communication skills. Staff organise daily routines that support children's early development. For instance, babies learn simple words such as 'dog' while out for a walk. Toddlers develop hand-eye coordination as they pour water from containers. Pre-school children gain knowledge about human emotions during adult-led activities. However, other areas of learning, such as mathematics, are not planned for as effectively by staff. This means that, although children acquire some maths skills through their play, their development in maths is not as secure.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) provides good support for children with SEND. This is because the team closely observes children using a range of assessments to identify any gaps in development. The SENCo uses this knowledge and, where appropriate, the support of external professionals to plan targets for each child. Children receive individual daily support to help them make steady progress.
• Staff promote children's communication and language skills. Staff model language during play. For example, they name farm animals and emphasise the first sounds of words to support children's clear pronunciation. Staff ask questions when reading books, such as 'What colour are the leaves?' These strategies help children to hear a range of vocabulary and become comfortable using language. Children develop age-appropriate communication skills.
• Staff value the importance of leading healthy lifestyles. The cook offers a healthy diet. Children learn to enjoy foods that contribute to their good health, such as fruit salad. Staff help families to find a dentist and provide toothbrushes so that children learn to take care of their oral health. Daily outdoor play and planned sports activities support children to move their bodies in a range of ways. Children learn how to look after their health.
• Parents and/or carers report that staff are kind and supportive. They notice that their children make progress in their learning. For example, they say children master new words and make friends at the nursery. Parents feel well informed about their child's day-to-day care and activities. However, staff do not provide parents with enough information to help them support children's continued learning and development at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen monitoring and evaluation of practice to raise the quality of education further
• develop the mathematics curriculum so that all children develop confidence in early maths
• provide parents with further information about how they can support their child's learning at home.