Kids Planet Middlewich

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at this nursery where friendly and familiar staff welcome them in. Children are eager to explore the carefully planned environment with activities set out to intrigue them. They become involved in different messy and sensory play and talk about their favourite treats as they make pretend ice cream with play foam. This helps children to share their own experiences and practise their conversational skills. Communication and language underpins the curriculum in all age groups. This helps children to make good progress. This includes children starting school and children who are new to the nursery.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and attitudes towards each other. Children learn about their own emotions and feelings as staff help them to play alongside each other. They share and take turns as they use the outdoor equipment. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities in ways that are appropriate to their development. This helps to ensure they make the best possible progress. Children feel safe and secure at this nursery.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, staff supported children and families by keeping in contact with them and supporting learning at home.

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

• There is an effective curriculum embedded throughout the nursery. Children learn language and new words through familiar songs, rhymes and stories they take turns to choose. Staff skilfully extend learning to link in with children's interests. For example, children retell parts of the three bears story, while making porridge after story time. Staff include mathematical concepts and physical skills, encouraging children to independently measure ingredients. This helps children to build on what they already know.
• Staff know children very well. Children engage in activities because staff make learning interesting. However, there are occasions where some activities do not challenge children enough. While playing number games, some children lose interest as they already know the answers. This means opportunities to further extend learning to ensure children make the best possible progress are sometimes missed.
• There are a variety of opportunities for children to experience the local area. They learn about different roles in the community. Children have visits from local firefighters, police, dentists and nurses. This is following on from children's discussions about 'what am I going to grow up to be.' This helps children to understand what it means to be a part of a community.
• Children's behaviour is very good. Staff encourage children to think about their feelings. Staff support children to regulate their own emotions. Where disagreements occur between children, staff intervene and support children to resolve their differences. Children learn to understand differences in each other. This is because staff positively support them when needed.
• Staff ensure they promote children's personal development whenever they can. Before wiping babies faces at lunchtime, staff make sure babies are happy for them to do this. This helps children begin to understand consent and independence in self-care from an early age. Older children use the bathroom independently. This builds self-confidence and self-esteem as children learn what it means to look after themselves.
• The manager is passionate and enthusiastic about the care and education provided at the nursery. She has good plans in place for staff's professional development. Staff report they have access to a range of training they can choose from. This helps them to build their knowledge and improve practice. Staff report good levels of well-being and workload.
• Parents are extremely complimentary about the relationships they have with staff. They are happy with the care their child receives. They say they know what their child is learning and that they can see progress in their development. They say they 'highly recommend' the nursery and are 'very thankful' for everything the staff do with their child. Staff share regular updates online so parents know what their child has done at nursery that day.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to identify all opportunities to extend learning and further challenge children in all activities so that they make the best possible progress.