Little Acorns Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are welcomed into the nursery each day by smiling staff. They are keen to join their friends and explore the stimulating environment. Children make good progress from their starting points, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Their progress is closely monitored and staff know how to seek support from outside agencies if needed.

Children behave well and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They understand staff's high expectations for their behaviour and conduct. Gentle reminders help children to follow simple rules, such as using 'kind hands' and 'walking feet'. Children are beginning to manage their own feelings and behaviour and understand how these impact on others. When children struggle with regulating their behaviour, staff take prompt action, working in partnership with parents, to support them.

Children have high self-esteem and resilience which is promoted through praise and encouragement. Staff support children to try again when things do not work, find alternative ways of doing things, and complete tasks independently. For example, children work out the best way to build ramps so that they can run toy cars down them.

Babies explore the spacious playroom. They build their physical skills when they crawl, climb, and start to walk. Older children learn how to assess risks, follow instructions and keep themselves safe. For instance, they practice road safety when they cross from this nursery building to the outdoor area at the other building.

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

• Leaders ensure that staff are deployed effectively to meet the needs of children. They are ambitious for all children and provide an inclusive environment where children are supported to make good progress. Leaders are proactive in helping parents to access any additional services their children need. This shared approach means that gaps narrow quickly for all children.
• The provider is ambitious and driven to improve. They have a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement in their practice. They have clear plans in place to strengthen the quality of education further. For example, leaders have recently changed systems for assessment and planning because they recognised that they were no longer working well. Leaders ensure staff with less experience and knowledge have effective support and coaching from qualified staff. Staff work well as a team and feel that their wellbeing is promoted by leaders.
• Staff understand the areas of learning and the way in which young children learn. They promote children's communication and language skills well. They have created a language-rich environment, full of stories, rhymes, and songs. Staff model correct pronunciation. They use short sentences and speak clearly so children have time to process information and respond. Staff read books to children that include a variety of vocabulary. They pause to give children time to think about the story and what might happen next.
• Overall, the curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced. Preschool children begin to understand mathematical concepts when they build ramps to explore movement. Children solve problems, think critically, predict what might happen, and make comparisons. However, staff do not fully support more able children to extend their knowledge and understanding. For example, they do not encourage them to think about how they might measure speed or distance.
• Staff fully support children to develop their social skills through cooperative play. Children share ideas, negotiate, and await their turn. Effectively implemented care practices promote children's independence. They begin to understand why good health and hygiene are important. Leaders link with schools to support children's emotional wellbeing during transition. Staff teach children about people who help us, such as dentists, the community nurse and fire service. They support parents with information around oral health. This means children are developing their physical and emotional health successfully.
• Parents are highly positive about the care and learning their children receive. They receive daily updates about their children's progress and ideas for continuing learning at home. Parents say staff are kind and patient. Leaders provide information to help parents keep their children safe, such as the risks of children accessing the internet. Although partnerships with parents are generally strong, they have few opportunities to share their views and be involved in the improvement process.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support more able children to extend their knowledge and understanding of early mathematical concepts appropriate to their age and stage of development
• provide more opportunities for parents to share their views and be involved in the improvement process.