Kids Planet Clayton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children and parents are warmly welcomed into the nursery. They form strong bonds with kind and nurturing staff. Children confidently leave their parents, excited to start their day alongside their friends. Children demonstrate lovely behaviour towards each other and staff. For example, when riding a bicycle, children stop and ask other children if they would like a turn. Children feel safe and secure.

Children have many opportunities to develop their physical skills well. Each room has access to outdoor space, and children make choices from a wide range of activities to improve their gross motor skills. For example, children learn to take turns as they play 'Duck, duck, goose', giggling with laughter as they chase each other. Children work with a range of resources, such as play dough and mark-making materials, so that they use their fine motor skills continuously.

Children learn the importance of making healthy choices. They brush their teeth after meals and enjoy brushing a giant set of pretend teeth. Dental professionals visit the nursery to support children's oral health. Children independently wash their hands before eating and after going to the toilet. Tissues are readily available to enable children to clean their noses. As a result, children learn to keep themselves healthy.

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

• The nursery has an ambitious curriculum to ensure that children are ready for the move on to school. Staff provide stimulating activities that they know children will enjoy based on their interests and needs. For example, younger children enjoy water play. Staff encourage children to pour and splash in the water. They count how many toy fish they have and then squirt the water out of the fish, developing the muscles in their hands. Staff observe and assess children's development effectively.
• Managers and staff have identified children's communication and language as an area of focus. A speech and language approach has been implemented to enhance practice. However, staff do not always consider the impact that their voices and background music have on children's communication and language development.
• Children are provided with a variety of healthy home-cooked meals that are freshly prepared on the premises by the nursery's cook. Staff are aware of children's allergies and dietary requirements when serving food and ensure that these are always adhered to. Children choose how much they want to eat and often have second helpings.
• Children are encouraged to make independent choices. For example, they choose what they wish to play with from easily accessible resources. Overall, children serve themselves at mealtimes and pour their own drinks. However, staff do not consistently support children to do things independently. For example, they put on children's coats for them when children can do this for themselves.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. They regularly communicate with each other and with parents. If staff have any concerns about a child's learning, they are confident in planning their next steps in development effectively. As a result, all children make good progress in their learning and development, including children with SEND.
• Staff's development is a high priority within the setting. Staff have undertaken many training courses to ensure that their skills and knowledge support children's learning to a good level of development.
• Staff are encouraged and mentored by an effective management team. Regular supervision sessions help to maintain a high level of staff's well-being within the nursery. Staff have opportunities to seek advice and guidance to ensure that children are reaching their full potential.
• Partnership with parents is excellent. A wide variety of information is shared with parents. For example, staff make resources and information on potty training, tooth brushing and healthy foods easily accessible to parents. They understand parents' emotions when leaving their children and have support in place to help parents adjust. Information about each staff member is displayed so that parents have a clear understanding of who is caring for their child.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider a wider range of strategies to allow children to hear new words and descriptive language, to support their growing vocabulary
• support staff to consistently enable children to do things for themselves to promote children's personal development to a higher level.