Kindergarten Kids Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in this nursery. They develop strong bonds with staff, which successfully promotes their emotional well-being and helps them to feel safe and secure. Children's behaviour is good, and the staff act as positive role models. They encourage children to use their manners, and children are learning how to share and take turns with each other.

Children freely access a wide range of exciting and stimulating activities that generally promote their learning well. Babies explore and experiment during their self-selected activities. They watch intensely as they roll different-sized toy cars down a ramp. Toddlers manipulate dough as they stretch, knead and pull it into the desired shape, making prints with other objects on the dough. This extends their concentration and helps strengthen their hand and finger muscles. Older children experiment, adding weights to their boat creations in water to learn about floating and sinking. Staff give clear explanations to extend children's knowledge and understanding effectively.

Children are very familiar with the routines and respond well to instructions and guidance given to them. This is because staff are consistent in providing children with clear instructions and boundaries throughout the day. For example, children know to thoroughly wash their hands before meals and snacks and older children remember to turn off the light when they finish in the toilet.

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

• Staff implement a curriculum that follows children's interests. They gather information from parents during settling-in sessions about what children already know and can do. Staff use this information to plan activities that meet the needs of the children. They complete observations and assessments on children and share these with parents.
• Staff encourage children's mathematical development effectively. Children regularly use mathematical language in their play. They confidently count and identify numbers in sequence. Staff challenge children to identify and understand the concepts of weight and length.
• Children are supported to develop a love of reading. For example, they enjoy exploring books independently and with their friends, as well as listening to stories read by staff. They are captivated by the expressions and actions staff use while they tell exciting stories. Generally, children access good opportunities to enhance their literacy skills. However, some opportunities for older children to practise their early writing skills are not promoted as well. For example, staff do not ensure that children use an effective pencil grip, and there are some inconsistencies in the teaching of letters and sounds.
• Staff provide children and babies with experiences to enhance their physical development. Children show a love for the outdoors as they carefully navigate across an obstacle course they created with large loose parts. Babies delight as they successfully mount the steps on small climbing equipment and go safely down the slide. This supports children to develop core strength in their bodies.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Parents appreciate the care and attention their children receive and the way staff precisely meet their children's individual needs. They benefit from being involved in parent workshops about the nursery's curriculum and regular updates on their children's learning. This keeps parents up to date on their children's development and how to support them with their learning at home.
• Regular self-evaluation and effective teamwork contribute to a well-organised provision. There are good opportunities for the staff team to work together, evaluate and drive improvements. Recent improvements to the organisation of the nursery means that older children are effectively prepared for their transition to school, and babies have a quiet area to relax in a home-from-home environment.
• Children benefit from the focus that staff place on their communication and language skills. Staff narrate as children play and clearly emphasise keywords in their interactions. All children make very good progress in their speaking skills, including those who speak English as an additional language. However, information about children's background and heritage is not always explored as effectively as possible. Children learn about a range of cultural events, but these are not targeted well to reflect and value the family backgrounds of those taking part.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide support for staff to hep develop their knowledge and understanding of how to promote children's early literacy skills more effectively
• strengthen arrangements to gather and use information about children's background and heritage to be able to reflect these positively in their learning opportunities and enhance children's self-identity.