Kids Planet Great Sankey

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are greeted by friendly staff as they arrive at nursery. They enter a warm and welcoming environment. Children are happy to see staff and their friends. They eagerly make their way to the different activities which have been set up for them. Babies join a sensory activity and have great fun exploring different materials and textures. Children show that they feel safe and secure with staff. Younger children go to staff for a reassuring cuddle. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Consequently, children behave well. They share, take turns and use their manners. Children respond positively to praise. Older children delight in being given the 'happy helper' responsibility, where they can help to set the tables for mealtimes. This supports them to develop their confidence and independence skills ready for their move to school. Children are making good progress across the seven areas of learning and development. Therefore, they are ready for their next stage in learning.

Leaders continuously adapt the nursery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to help keep children safe. Parents can now enter the nursery with their children. The children are dropped off and collected from staff in their room. Children respond well to this and happily part from their parents.

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

• Leaders have a clear intention for what they want children to learn. This is understood by all staff. The current learning focus across the nursery is to support children's speech development. Staff sing familiar songs and read children's favourite books to them. This helps to introduce children to new words and develops their communication and language skills.
• Staff plan activities and experiences for children that capture their interests. For example, children eagerly experiment how they can melt ice using water and sand. However, where children's interests move away from the planned activity, staff are less effective in providing these children with support. Therefore, some children's experiences are, at times, limited.
• Children get fresh air and exercise every day. They enjoy playing outside with their friends. For example, a group of children have great fun exploring how water moves through large tunnels. This supports children to problem-solve. Children benefit from outings in the local community. They enjoy going to the park, where they can practise their climbing skills by using the large equipment.
• Older children learn about good hand hygiene practices as they wash their hands themselves before eating. Children enjoy nutritious meals and snacks. This helps them to learn some of the different ways they can keep themselves healthy. However, at times, staff do not consider the effectiveness of some activities and routines for children, particularly mealtimes. For example, children wait long periods between sitting down and getting to eat their food at mealtimes. This causes some children to become unsettled and a little upset.
• Children have lots of opportunities to make choices in their play. Children are polite and listen attentively to staff. They understand and follow the setting's rules well. Children learn about different cultures and ways of life. They are able to try different foods from around the world, such as Indian and Mexican food.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery. They feel that staff support them and their children well. Parents comment that they receive valuable information about their children's time in nursery. They say that staff guide them well on how they can continue to support their children's learning at home.
• Leaders have good links with other professionals. This ensures that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive additional support in a timely manner. Staff support children in receipt of additional funding or children with SEND during one-to-one and small-groups sessions. This enables staff to support children to work towards targets that other professionals, such as speech and language therapists, have set.
• Staff feel that leaders support them well with their professional development. Leaders ensure that staff receive training to keep their knowledge and understanding up to date, particularly around the mandatory training courses. This helps to keep children safe.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• respond to changes in children's interests and engagement during independent play and planned activities that supports and promotes children's learning even further
• improve systems for evaluating activities and routines to ensure that all children are fully supported, particularly around mealtimes.