La Maternelle Family Childcare - Sandbach

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy in this nursery. They are busily engaged throughout the day as the staff help them learn through varied and interesting activities. Children develop physical skills as they safely climb outdoors, ride tricycles and learn yoga poses. Children have opportunities to be creative as they dress up on the stage, explore paint using pipettes and play in role play areas. Staff frequently sing and read to children, which supports their language development.

Leaders have developed a broad and varied curriculum based on the skills and knowledge children need to begin school. This has been developed through close links with schools, speech and language specialists and health visitors. The learning environment and resources are well planned to support children's learning. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour, and children develop positive attitudes to their learning and play. As a result, all children make good progress.

Daily routines support children to feel secure and give a good balance to adult-led activities and learning through play. Staff use pictures, gestures and signs to help children understand what is coming next. Children have opportunities to learn through engaging experiences such as hatching stick insects and learning French. Staff consider how they can support children's interests and make learning fun for children.

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

• Since the last inspection, the provider has notified Ofsted of a significant event where there was a breach of the statutory requirements. The notification means that the provider met their legal responsibility as set out in the 'Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage' to notify Ofsted of significant events. The provider has reviewed this incident and how accidents are reported to parents. They have taken swift action to address the breach of requirements.
• The broad curriculum is thoroughly planned and sequenced. Leaders have a very clear vision of what they want children to learn and they consider how learning should be delivered. For example, resources are provided on a weekly basis to focus on a key skill such as developing a pencil grip. As a result, children build knowledge and skills as they move through the nursery.
• Staff support children to develop good speech and language skills. They deliver a curriculum of high-quality stories, rhymes and songs throughout the day. These are carefully chosen to support children at their stage of development. Babies babble along to 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' and hold their hands open. As children hear this language repeatedly, they learn to remember and use a wide vocabulary.
• Staff support children to follow their own interests. They support children to use an abundance of high-quality resources to explore, be creative and extend their own learning. Staff support children through high-quality questions and comments on what they might do next. Children thoroughly enjoy the freedom to learn through play.
• Staff help children to grow in confidence. Staff provide close, nurturing care for babies, which helps them to feel secure. There are lots of opportunities for children to develop independence. Children serve their own food, wipe their own faces and make choices in their play. Consequently, children develop the skills they need to begin school.
• In the main, children's behaviour is good. The curriculum supports children to develop good attitudes to learning by encouraging them to try hard and develop skills such as how to listen effectively. This supports children to make good progress. However, staff sometimes do not support children to understand some expectations of behaviour. For example, staff give inconsistent messages about where children can run safely and sometimes do not support children to consider the feelings of others. As a result, children do not always meet the setting's high expectations for behaviour.
• Staff establish effective relationships with parents. They support parents to understand their child's learning through regular communication such as reviews and parents' evenings. Staff encourage learning to continue at home by providing a range of activities. They provide emotional support for children and their families as children settle into the nursery or begin school. Consequently, children grow in confidence and are supported in their learning at home.
• Leaders focus on improving staff's knowledge and understanding of how children learn. They have robust systems for training that ensure new staff understand how to support children at the age and stage they work with. Ongoing training supports staff to continually improve upon their practice. As a result, there is a shared approach to delivering the curriculum and care as leaders intend.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure behaviour expectations are communicated clearly and applied consistently.