Little Adventures Nursery (Stirchley)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff are friendly and affectionate at this nursery. Children spend time in a nurturing and stimulating environment. Staff develop strong relationships with children and get to know them well. They show an interest in what children are doing and help them to increase their knowledge and skills.

The curriculum across the nursery is focused on helping children to achieve the skills they need to prepare them for their eventual move to school. Leaders consider the individual learning needs of children and use an assessment system that supports their unique stages of development. Staff develop a good understanding of what children already know and create learning targets that build on their existing knowledge and skills. As a result, all children make good progress in their learning.

The secure outdoor environment affords itself to providing further learning opportunities for children. Staff set out a range of activities in this space for children to access. Children learn about balance, navigating space and using different surfaces. They have options to sit calmly and relax with books in the open air. Older children enjoy joining in more complex throwing and catching games as they try to get a ball into a moving box. They think critically and suggest ways to adjust the rules to make the game more difficult.

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

• Staff know children well. They understand children's individual learning needs and know what they are interested in. This helps them to plan activities that children are keen to join in with. Children show high levels of engagement across the nursery and are motivated to extend their learning.
• Children follow well-established routines throughout the day. They help to tidy up and wash their hands before and after eating. Staff are generally available to support children when they need it. However, there are times when staff do not deploy themselves effectively to be able to meet the needs of all children. For example, staff wipe children's hands and lead them to bed to sleep, while there are still children finishing their lunch. This means there are short periods of time when staff have their backs to children who are eating. Leaders have begun to address the organisation of lunchtimes and plan to provide further training to staff to improve their understanding.
• Children have a wealth of opportunities to explore different textures and materials. They play with water and materials, such as flour and food colouring. Staff use these opportunities to incorporate a range of learning experiences for children. They teach children to improve their fine motor skills by giving them spoons to practise scooping motions. This provides children with the skills they will need to be able to write.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Comprehensive support plans are implemented so that crucial information can be gathered about children that can then be shared with other agencies. This helps children to gain the support they need at the earliest point. Leaders and staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that the support they put in place is relevant and coordinated. This supports all children to make good progress.
• Older children are curious and confident. Staff ask children questions during their play to encourage their critical thinking skills. Children are inquisitive and able to make suggestions and express their ideas.
• Babies learn early communication skills. Staff are animated, and they help children to recognise different sounds that are linked to actions and gestures. The use of Makaton signs help children to gain the skills they need to communicate effectively. Regular opportunities to sing and share familiar stories help children to recognise how sounds link together and that words are used for a purpose. This contributes to the early literacy skills children will require when they move to school.
• Leaders are passionate and committed to providing high-quality learning experiences for children. They meet with staff regularly and spend time in rooms observing practice. They identify aspects of the nursery where improvements can be made and take action to address these. A wider leadership team ensures that staff have the knowledge and skills they need to enhance learning for children.
• Partnerships with parents are a real strength in this nursery. Leaders dedicate time to ensuring that important information is shared with parents. They develop strong relationships with families from the moment children start at the nursery and are passionate about supporting families as a whole unit. Parents comment that children make good progress, staff are friendly and they receive regular feedback from their child's key person. This helps to create consistent care for children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the support already in place for staff so that they fully understand how to deploy themselves effectively to consistently meet the needs of all children.