Kids Planet Sheepbridge

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in this warm, friendly nursery. They separate from their parents confidently and are keen to play with friends and the kind, nurturing staff. Children are eager to investigate the nursery and are supported by staff who know them well. Children are helped to develop a love of books. Staff use props and engaging voices, drawing children into the story when reading to them. Children enjoy settling down on cushions in a cosy reading snug. They are encouraged to join in with the story, repeating common phrases with gusto.

Children enjoy playing in the well-resourced outside area. Toddlers and staff laugh with glee as they run around the garden with spray bottles, chasing each other and squirting water. Staff extend this, adding colour to the spray and teaching children about colour mixing. They draw children's attention to marks they make as they spray paper. Quieter children are supported by staff to investigate and count hidden pebbles in the sandpit. Children behave well and are respectful to each other. They are helped to play together by supportive staff who develop trusting relationships with children. Staff are consistent and clear about behaviour expectations throughout the nursery. This helps children understand what is expected of them.

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

• Staff are very well supported by the knowledgeable leadership team. The staffroom is a warm and inviting space that is used to promote staff well-being. Staff training is nurtured and managers promote and support the mental health of all staff.
• Staff and management work hard to develop good relationships with families. They have considered how to enable parents to extend children's learning at home in a meaningful way. Home learning bags have been individualised to meet the needs and next steps of each child. The management has also implemented a 'helping hands' station for parents, with a coat swap and emergency supplies.
• Staff and the leadership team give a great deal of thought and planning to supporting children with additional needs. There are strong systems in place to ensure these children receive swift support, helping them succeed. Staff get to know children with additional needs well. They use this knowledge to plan and implement activities that enable learning. The support provided enables children with additional needs to make the best possible progress.
• Management and staff work together to provide a rich curriculum with a wide range of experiences designed to enhance learning. This is implemented through knowledgeable, passionate staff. For example, staff use quiet times to spend valuable one-to-one time with toddlers, increasing their mathematical understanding and language as they build towers together. However, this is not consistent across the nursery. Opportunities to extend language and relationship building are occasionally missed during care routines.
• Transitions are well planned and supported. This includes transitions into the nursery, between rooms and on to school. For example, staff share information with other agencies. They understand the skills children need to be able to transition and embed these through play. Children successfully move up within the setting according to their ability.
• Mealtimes are social occasions. Children sit together talking and laughing. Their independence skills are promoted as they self-serve food and drinks. There is a well-considered nutritious menu on offer. Staff use this as a basis to teach children about the importance of healthy lifestyles. For example, prompting discussions about the vegetables children are eating. This is reinforced with real vegetables introduced into play to familiarise children with them.
• Children are provided with engaging activities that teach them about oral health. They use real toothbrushes and toothpaste to brush models of teeth. Staff use the activity to extend children's understanding, teaching older children to 'brush up and down'.
• Children have access to exciting outdoor experiences. For example, they nimbly negotiate an obstacle course made from boxes. Staff use this to help children develop their physical skills and learn to manage their own risks.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure communication and language and personal, social and emotional development are promoted consistently through routines for younger children.