Kindercare (Hgte) Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff are welcoming, friendly and professional in this well-resourced setting. Children are happy and safe and have made good bonds with staff. Children have lots of activities to choose from which have been planned to support their interests and next stage of development. Children remain engaged with activities for long periods of time. As a result, children's behaviour is good.

Staff have high expectations for all children and know them well. Older children are well prepared for starting school and demonstrate good levels of self-confidence. They show an interest in stories and are frequently encouraged to enjoy stories independently. Toddlers sit and look at their own books before lunch and older children sit in the book area and enjoy a story with their friends. This promotes early reading skills and a love of books.

Children are taught about the world around them. For example, children learn about recycling and the environment in the pre-school room. Children are encouraged to learn about what can be recycled. They learn about what should and should not be in the ocean. Children spend time out of nursery picking up litter with their parents. Families share photos with the nursery so this can be discussed further. This effectively supports the development of children's communication and language skills and their understanding of taking responsibility for the environment.

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

• The manager has a clear vision of the setting and seeks to gather feedback from the team. Staff have access to regular supervisions and training. The manager is supportive and aware of various pressures of the job. Staff report high levels of well-being.
• Parents provide positive feedback and are happy with the service provided. They recommend the nursery to their friends. Parents are pleased with the information which is shared with them via the app. This ranges from what their children have been doing that day to updates on their development.
• Overall, the development of children's communication and language skills is well supported. For example, children have lots of opportunities to access stories. Staff support children's language development by extending their vocabulary, especially older children. However, this is inconsistent. On occasions, staff use sounds as animal names and do not model full sentences. This means children do not always learn the correct word for things or are taught the correct format of sentences.
• Staff gather information from parents when their children first start at the nursery. This means they can tailor the environment to suit individual children's needs. Staff know the children well and know how to meet their individual care needs. Swift action is taken to identify gaps in development to put additional support plans in place. Staff work with parents and other agencies to ensure additional support is planned in where necessary. This helps children to make good progress in relation to their starting points.
• Staff have high expectations of how children should behave and set out clear rules and expectations. There are ample activities set out for the children to enjoy. This results in children remaining engaged in activities for long periods of time. Children are also encouraged to set their own expectations. For example, when new areas are introduced within the rooms, staff sit with the children and discuss how the space should be used. This gives children a sense of ownership within the setting.
• Transitions throughout the day do not always run as smoothly as they could. For example, the period between play and getting ready for lunch in the toddler room is chaotic. This does not lead to a calm environment.
• There is a reflective culture throughout the nursery. Staff reflect on occasions when things may not have gone the way that had been intended. They are comfortable to try new things to identify what might work best. There is a focus on gathering feedback from children. For example, there is a children's council which meets on a weekly basis. 'Exit interviews' are conducted when children leave the setting. This develops children's self-esteem and they learn they have a voice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's knowledge of the importance of using the correct vocabulary and sentence structure
• develop routines to ensure transitions throughout the day run more smoothly.