Kindred Wheathampstead

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and staff warmly welcome children on their arrival. Successful settling-in procedures support all children to build a sense of belonging and enable them to quickly build attachments with their designated key person. Children become engaged in their play, explore the environment and demonstrate a positive attitude to their learning. Staff encourage babies and younger children to explore the texture of soil, oats and hay and to immerse their hands in water. Staff play peekaboo games with young children and show them how to pour a pretend cup of tea for the dolls. Additionally, during painting activities, babies and younger children are taught how to grip appropriately-sized paint brushes. Children enthusiastically paint marks on paper and are praised for their achievements.

Leaders and staff implement appropriate boundaries and support children to manage their emotions. Children behave well. They learn to share and take their turn, and they understand the importance of being kind to their friends. Staff demonstrate to younger children how to pour water from one container to another and how to build a sandcastle in the sand pit. Children eagerly copy and persevere, demonstrating their hand-eye coordination skills well. Staff provide older children with a range of activities that enhances their imagination and creativity skills. Children eagerly create potions at the mud kitchen, make dens using willow tree branches, and have opportunities to pretend to be builders in the builders yard.

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

• Leaders are committed to providing good quality childcare and there is a strong team ethos. They place a strong emphasis on supporting staff's well-being and offer a range of training opportunities. For example, staff have completed training to develop their understanding of the care of babies. This has supported staff to understand the importance of providing babies with a range of sensory play experiences to aid their development and the importance of positioning babies appropriately for their sleep.
• Children form close bonds with the staff, who know them well. Babies receive cuddles and reassurance if they are upset, and older children naturally seek the support of staff if they need help. This supports children's emotional well-being. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. They also develop self-care skills and enjoy a good range of nutritious meals and snacks.
• Leaders and staff place a high priority on developing children's independence, curiosity and love of the outdoors in readiness for school. Staff complete ongoing observations of the children and evaluate this information to plan what they want them to learn next. However, on occasions, staff do not use every opportunity to extend children's learning. Additionally, some daily routines are not always effective. For example, older children sometimes lose interest in the activities provided ahead of their lunch and staff rush younger children's snack time. Therefore, learning opportunities are not always maximised at these times.
• Staff effectively support children's communication and literacy skills. They share picture and story books with babies and play 'what's in the bag' and picture card games with them. This successfully introduces babies to new words and sounds associated with the words. Younger children are encouraged use their developing language to talk about their puzzles and the models they are making out of dough. Older children enthusiastically re-enact familiar stories and enthusiastically sing familiar songs, such as 'The Wheels on the Bus'.
• Staff work closely with external professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They use pictorial prompt cards to aid children's communication and help them understand routines throughout the day. Parents speak highly of the support and progress their children have made during their time at the nursery.
• Partnerships with parents are a strength of the nursery. There is a good two-way flow of communication. Parents are invited to consultation evenings, and information about their child's day, care routines and development is shared via an app. Parents are able to take home 'learning bags' to share with their children at home, and they receive advice on topics such as potty training and supporting children to manage their emotions. Additionally, parents are invited to family fun days, such as sports day.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the consistency of teaching to ensure all staff extend children's learning during planned and spontaneous activities
• review the organisation of routines to better support children's individual needs and learning outcomes.