Kids Planet Fulwood

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Babies and children settle quickly at this happy nursery. Staff place a strong focus on the transitions in children's lives. Detailed information is collected when babies and children start at the nursery. This supports the key person to meet their individual needs. As children progress through the nursery, staff continue to focus on their well-being and plan for change. For instance, children have recently moved rooms, and staff support them to settle into their new environment quickly. Children are constantly busy and have lots of interactions with staff, who chat with them as they play together. Children hear lots of new words through songs and rhymes. Children enjoy listening to stories. This helps them to develop a love of books in readiness for future reading in school.

Staff provide an exciting curriculum for children. They use children's interests to build on what they already know and can do. Following children's interest in archery, the sports coach offers all children the opportunity to try it for themselves. Children listen as they are told key instructions. They wait patiently to take their turn and excitedly cheer when the target is hit. Staff clearly establish the behaviour expectations through the rules children must follow to keep themselves safe. Children learn that it is dangerous to stand near the target. They learn how to keep themselves safe.

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

• Staff use assessments and tools, such as a communication development screening tool, to precisely establish children's abilities and identify progress over time. When any delay is identified, early intervention is swiftly put in place to support children's development. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), receive high-quality support and make good progress.
• Staff provide lots of opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. Babies enjoy exploring the environment. Staff encourage them to develop their core strength in a range of ways. Babies enjoy crawling up the small wooden ramp. They sit and smile at staff when they reach the top. Babies pull themselves to stand when staff deliberately place toys just out of reach. Outside, older children extend their arms to keep their balance as they walk along beams. Children develop the overall body strength and coordination they need for the future.
• Children are encouraged to develop their pre-writing skills. Staff provide opportunities for children to make marks. For instance, outside, children use chalks and brushes to make large-scale pictures. Indoors, they use pencils to develop their own ideas and talk about the marks they make. Staff support children to handle flowers gently as they carefully dip them in paint to make prints. This helps children to develop their fine motor skills, which in turn helps them to be confident writers later on.
• Leaders provide a sequenced curriculum to encourage children's independence. Attentive staff support babies to begin to feed themselves. Staff encourage toddlers to put their coats and shoes on. Older children develop new skills as they serve food themselves. They use cutlery to cut up their lunch and pour their own drinks from a jug. Children develop important skills for the future.
• Staff know their key children well. They use children's interests to engage them in new learning opportunities. All children are busy and engaged in purposeful play. Children excitedly respond when staff invite them to join an activity. Children develop confidence and a positive attitude and 'can-do' approach to learning.
• The manager is well supported by a strong leadership team. Leaders have established a consistent staff team within the nursery. A recent focus has been on staff well-being and team building. Staff express that they feel supported by leaders and feel valued within their roles. Staff are motivated and enthusiastic to develop new skills within their practice.
• On the whole, staff follow children's lead well within play. However, sometimes, when children are absorbed in their own play, staff interrupt them by asking questions and taking over. This disrupts children's thinking. As a result, children can disengage from the activity and move on to something else.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to recognise when their questioning may interrupt children's independent learning.