Kindercare (Hgte) Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a welcoming smile and cheerful greetings from staff as they arrive at nursery. They enter happily and eager to play. Staff are respectful, kind and nurturing. They tailor settling-in visits and the care they provide. Babies and children feel settled and safe. They develop trusting relationships with their consistent key person. Children's emotional well-being is strong. Their uniqueness, ethnicity and home languages are valued and supported in this inclusive nursery.

Children in the pre-school room join the nursery council. They enjoy the responsibility of decision-making. Children discuss what they like and do not like, ideas for new play resources, meals and snacks, and how they think the nursery can be improved. The manager and staff respect and value children's contributions. They act on the decisions that children make, wherever possible.

Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve, overall. Babies excitedly crawl after balls that staff roll for them. Older children speak confidently to visitors. They tell them how they are 'mixing sand, water and foam to make cement'. Children concentrate well. They use the 'cement' to stick bricks together to build a tower. Children are interested and motivated in their learning. Their behaviour is excellent.

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

• The manager and staff provide a very inclusive nursery for all children. They cater for and support children's individual dietary needs incredibly well. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make swift progress. Staff set targets to help them develop their knowledge and skills. Staff work closely with other professionals and parents to ensure a consistent approach for children's learning. The manager uses additional funding effectively.
• Children listen attentively to the stories that staff read throughout the day. They accurately recreate story time on their own. One child takes on the role of the storyteller, while other children listen. Children confidently name the story title as 'The Smartest Giant in Town'. Children use their knowledge of the story and the pictures as prompts to help them recall the story. Children are highly motivated. They develop strong foundations to support their future reading skills.
• Staff support children's language development well, overall. They introduce new words such as 'dissolve' and 'helipad' to help extend children's vocabulary. Staff engage children in conversations about their paintings and the models they build. However, there are some inconsistencies in how children's communication and language skills are supported. For example, in the baby room, some staff do not always respond swiftly to babies' communication. Occasionally, staff working with older children ask too many questions in close succession. Children do not always have enough time to think and answer.
• Parents speak very positively about the nursery. They describe how staff use their children's interests to help them settle and learn. For example, staff use children's favourite stories to create a cosy space for them to feel secure. Parents are kept informed about their children's learning through daily discussions, the parent app, parents' evenings and written developmental reports. Parents describe the nursery as having a 'nice friendly atmosphere with consistent staff'.
• Staff provide a strong and sequenced curriculum to support children's personal, social and emotional development. They consistently encourage children's independence and successfully build on their existing skills. Babies learn to feed themselves using a spoon, young children develop their skills in pouring their own water from small jugs, and older children serve their own food from dishes at lunchtime. They also select their own breakfast cereal, turn the handle on the dispenser to fill their bowls, and pour their own milk.
• Children enjoy rich and varied learning experiences at nursery. This includes learning how to do yoga, which helps to develop their body strength. Staff and visitors teach children how to play rugby. Children enjoy learning how to throw the rugby ball correctly and how to work as a team. They develop excellent physical control and coordination of their bodies. Children are taught basic first aid, such as how to put a bandage on. They are also learning to speak Spanish. Children develop skills for life.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen teaching to ensure that all staff consistently support babies' and children's communication and language skills.