Little Adventures Nursery (Bristol St Philips)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are extremely happy and settle well in this welcoming and inclusive nursery. Staff work closely with parents to ensure that they gather information about children's individual needs and routines, and they use this information well to help children feel secure and receive a continuity of care. Children are curious to learn, demonstrate a positive attitude to learning and develop positive self-esteem from the encouragement they receive from staff. For example, children are regularly praised with 'wow moments' for achieving something new, such as taking their first steps and overcoming their fears as they slide down slides for the first time. Children build meaningful and trusting relationships with their key person. Staff get to know their key children well and use their observations and assessments of the children to ensure that their individual needs and interests are reflected in what activities and experiences are on offer. Children make good progress in their learning and development. Staff facilitate children's learning well and implement a well-planned curriculum to help prepare children for the next stage in learning and to ensure that they reach their potential.

Staff are good role models for children's behaviour. They have high expectations of children and consider appropriate strategies to ensure that expectations are fair and suitable for the age and developmental stage of each child. Staff explain the expectations and reasons for the rules to children, which helps children develop a good awareness of safety. Children get on well with one another, and they learn how to interact and socialise with others positively.

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

• Children benefit from an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum. Staff carefully plan for children's learning and development and make assessments continuously as they interact with children and respond in the moment to extend and consolidate children's learning. Overall, the curriculum supports all areas of learning. However, staff do not consistently take opportunities as they arise in children's play to extend children's mathematical learning and development.
• The promotion of communication and language is a particular strength of the setting. Staff model language well, teach new vocabulary, ask questions and encourage children to engage in conversation. Staff use sign language alongside their speech, and children are regularly observed independently using these signs to communicate their thoughts and needs. Consequently, children develop good early communication and language skills during their time at the nursery.
• Parents are complimentary about the care and education their children receive. Staff update parents on their child's time at nursery through an app and in daily handovers. Leaders have developed a borrowing library and learning packs to support home learning. For example, parents enjoy using the packs they take home to engage in planting activities with their children.
• Staff give children vast opportunities to enhance their physical development. For example, babies walk with a walker to help them maintain balance as they practise taking steps. Older children engage in active games and use a range of apparatus in the indoor garden that challenges them as they use their bodies in a variety of ways. In addition to this, children have regular outings in the local area, including to the local park. Throughout the nursery, staff place a high emphasis on promoting healthy lifestyles.
• Children are very well supported to develop their social skills, independence skills and emotional resilience in preparation for their move to school. For example, they learn to play cooperatively with others, manage their own self-care and learn ways to positively manage their feelings and emotions. However, systems to ensure that children's transition to their next phase of education is as smooth as possible are not implemented or started early enough. For example, there are some delays in sharing information with schools about targeted support for children, and partnerships with schools are not yet fully established.
• Staff promote cultural diversity and celebrate children's unique backgrounds, for example by welcoming families using phrases in their home language and using cultural greetings.
• The nursery is led by a committed leadership team that is extremely passionate about what it does. Leaders regularly reflect on what is working well and what they could improve. Ongoing action planning is used well to make continual improvements to the provision.
• Staff have vast opportunities to enhance their professional development. They regularly receive feedback about their personal performance and value the guidance and support they receive from leaders. This contributes to good staff morale, and staff work well as a team to ensure consistency in practice and to create a respectful atmosphere.
• Safeguarding is given high priority. Staff and leaders demonstrate a secure knowledge of their safeguarding responsibilities, including wider safeguarding areas such as whistle-blowing and allegations management.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to implement the curriculum for mathematics more consistently to help children to make even better progress in this area
• develop processes to strengthen children's transition to school to ensure that appropriate support is in place, enabling children to experience a continuity of care and education.