Kinder Place

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the nursery with excitement and confidence, and they are warmly welcomed by their key person. They quickly settle into the routines of the day, which helps them feel safe and secure. Children effortlessly use exceptional manners and their behaviour is excellent. Younger children follow the examples set by older children. Children take the time to see if younger children need any help. For example, children willingly share their bicycles and offer support in how to ride them. Children comment on the acts of kindness of others, for example, 'He just gave him his bike. That was kind.'

Children explore the outdoor environment with enthusiasm and imagination. They are highly focused when digging and looking for worms. They eagerly swap tools to extend each other's play. Staff encourage children to think and be inquisitive. For example, when children ask where worms live, staff respond saying, 'That's a good question.' Staff discuss where worms live and encourage children to compare the sizes of the worms they have found.

Staff have high expectations of children and offer activities that suitably challenge them. For instance, younger children select jigsaw pieces to help them learn about colours. Older children use technology to select electronic pieces to make a caterpillar. Children concentrate exceptionally well and wait to take their turn while offering help and encouragement to their friends.

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

• Partnership with parents is very good. Parents comment on how the nursery staff have been supportive during the COVID-19 pandemic. While parents are not yet entering the nursery, staff still keep parents informed about their child's development via an online learning application.
• Staff understand the importance of children developing good communication and language skills. They make use of opportunities to join in with children's play and build on their conversations. Staff ask appropriate questions and talk to children about what they are doing. For example, children look through different coloured pieces of plastic to look at how this changes the colours in the environment. Children explore how placing pieces of coloured plastic together creates other colours.
• Overall, children benefit from an interesting and well-balanced curriculum because staff provide activities to build on what children already know and can do. For example, children make bird feeders after learning about wild birds and what they eat. Staff place the feeders outdoors, so children can watch the birds feeding.
• Children and babies form close bonds with their key person and other adults.
• Staff treat all children with care and respect. Children receive an abundance of praise and encouragement for their achievements. As a result, children have high self-esteem. This helps to support children when they make transitions within the nursery or their move on to school. Children make good progress from their starting points in learning. Staff quickly identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and provide support to meet their needs.
• Staff place a good focus on teaching children the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. Children learn the importance of brushing their teeth and which foods are healthy. They follow good hygiene practices. Children regularly play outdoors and participate in physical activities. They observe that their heart beats faster after riding the bicycles fast around the road track.
• The manager shows a clear commitment to providing high-quality care and education. The manager and staff regularly reflect on their practice within the nursery. For example, after merging two rooms, they have made changes to group activities and daily routines. However, these are not always organised effectively. For instance, it takes additional time for a larger group of children to come together, which means that on occasion children sit waiting for too long.
• Staff benefit from regular supervision meetings. The manager places a high priority on staff's well-being. Staff have opportunities to extend their professional development through online training and team training days. They feel well supported by management.
• Staff support children to be independent from an early age. Babies begin to feed themselves. Pre-school children butter their toast and pour their own drinks. Children independently choose books to look at. They gently turn the pages, chattering as they pretend to read these.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider how group activities and daily routines can be managed more effectively to ensure children are not waiting for extended periods of time.