Kindred Teddington

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are well settled at this nursery. They develop trusting relationships with staff, which provides them with the safety and security to learn. Babies are content. They snuggle into key people, who provide a warm greeting when they wake. They confidently explore their surroundings and are full of expression as they learn to communicate.

The newly appointed manager ensures the children experience an exciting curriculum. Staff carefully plan and consider children's interests. They are committed to providing high-quality learning opportunities. Children are happy to take part in a range of interesting activities indoors and relish opportunities to learn outside. Children show delight when searching for aeroplanes as they fly over the nursery. They communicate about their upcoming holidays and show delight in sharing where they have previously been.

Children develop good communication skills and are very inquisitive. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make secure progress from their starting points. Children who receive external support are progressing extremely well. There is a positive and respectful culture of behaviour whereby children negotiate with each other and learn how to cooperatively take turns and share resources. Children celebrate their peers' successes and cheer their friends on during new tasks, saying, 'Go on. You can do it.'

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

• Managers and leaders are working extremely hard to make sure the quality of the nursery continually improves. Staff feel valued and supported within their role. They talk about the opportunities they have been given to further their knowledge and skills through the nursery's well-thought-out plan for development. Parents speak highly of the nursery and emphasise how staff consistently maintain strong partnerships with them to ensure they are kept informed of their children's progress. Parents describe the setting as 'personable, connected and warm'.
• Children of all ages communicate well. Age-appropriate language is consistently modelled by staff in all age groups. For example, babies are taught words such as 'pat', 'roll', 'stretch' and 'poke' as they play with malleable materials. Older children describe sensory balls that look like 'Mercury' and 'Venus' that orbit the sun. This helps children to build their vocabulary rapidly.
• Staff know what they want children to learn and implement an exciting curriculum. Children are making good progress from their starting points. Children follow recipes to make their own play dough and share thought- provoking questions that test their enquiry and mathematical skills. On some occasions within the older age groups, staff have not yet considered how children can take a more active part in their learning, for example by allowing them to follow their own ideas and make choices as they explore.
• Children have opportunities to develop their early independence skills. They carefully consider what activities they will take part in during the day and show age-appropriate responsibility for helping prepare the table at mealtimes and clearing up after themselves after they have eaten. Children enjoy taking part in 'helper' roles across the nursery, such as delivering post to the office.
• The special educational needs coordinator meets with parents to discuss the needs of their children. She liaises with outside agencies, including the local authority, for advice. Children with SEND are progressing well. However, there are fewer opportunities for children who speak English as an additional language to hear or explore their home language through play consistently across the nursery. Although managers and leaders recognise this is an area they would like to strengthen, it is yet to be embedded in practice.
• Staff have high expectations for children's behaviours. Children demonstrate positive attitudes and are highly motivated and eager to join in with activities. When situations become challenging, staff support children to develop resilience and swiftly support children to solve problems.
• Children of all ages show a keen interest in stories and songs. They develop attention and recall through familiar books and props. Staff are incredibly enthusiastic and expressive in all age groups. This helps children build on their early literacy skills. When they are developmentally ready, older children enjoy blending and segmenting letter sounds and show eagerness to write recognisable letters.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide a wider range of opportunities for children to take an active part in their learning, to raise their achievements to a higher level
• make better use of opportunities for children to practise their home language within the nursery consistently.