Little Adventures Nursery (Worle)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children build strong attachments with the friendly and caring staff in this nursery. Leaders and staff place a strong focus on getting to know children and their families when they first start attending, and this partnership is evident throughout children's time in the nursery. Children quickly settle and develop the confidence to explore and form relationships. Younger children develop strong attachments with the staff caring for them, and staff are highly responsive to the children's needs. Babies snuggle into staff for comfort and enjoy sitting on their laps while looking at books. Older children confidently engage staff in play and conversations.

Leaders and staff share a clear focus through their curriculum to support all children to become resilient, independent, curious and happy. Staff embed the curriculum effectively, and children are confident and motivated learners. Staff provide interesting activities and experiences to capture children's attention and spark their interest in play and learning. Younger children enjoy feeling different textures in a pretend 'swamp' that staff created for them. They use their imaginations to play with toy frogs as they observe how materials change in the water. Older children take part in simple science activities, where they explore what happens when they mix water and oil. Children eagerly make predictions and excitedly anticipate what will happen when they mix colours. All children are kind, respectful and polite. They listen to staff, follow instructions and remember to say thank you when they are given something.

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

• The strong leadership team places importance on staff well-being and professional development. Staff speak positively about their experiences and say they enjoy working in the setting. This creates a happy and supportive atmosphere, which benefits the children. Staff report having access to good training opportunities, and they feel appreciated and valued in their roles.
• Leaders and staff swiftly respond to provide support for children with developmental delays and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They work closely with parents and outside professionals to ensure children get the support they need. Staff carefully adapt activities and resources to meet each child's needs, ensuring that children are included and that support is appropriate. This helps all children access a broad and engaging curriculum, supports their development and prepares them for the next stage in their education, including starting school.
• Staff know children well. They regularly observe children's learning and assess their progress to provide tailored support, and parents are well informed about their children's development. Staff share updates daily, and parents enjoy seeing photographs and information about what their children have been doing at nursery. Parents say this helps them find ideas to support their child's learning at home.
• Leaders and staff provide children with valuable opportunities to learn from their local community. Children go on regular outings and visits to nearby shops, helping them explore and understand the world around them. The nursery also supports a strong sense of community through a food bank that it has at the entrance. Parents can either take what they need or contribute items to help others. This helps children to consider the needs of people in their community.
• Staff support all children to be independent. For example, the youngest children learn to feed themselves. Older children set the table, pour their drinks and serve their food at mealtimes. Children are keen to help and show they have a positive attitude towards learning.
• Overall, the support for children's communication and language development is strong. Staff regularly share stories, model language during play and engage children in conversations. However, some of the newer and quieter staff working with younger children lack confidence and sometimes find it challenging to interact in ways that promote children's learning effectively.
• Staff set clear routines and boundaries, so children know what is coming next. This helps children to feel secure and understand the structure of the day. However, during some routine times such as mealtimes staff do not consistently organise the routine to ensure all children remain settled. This means that, at times, children are left waiting, leading to some, particularly the younger children, being frustrated and unsettled.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide additional support and guidance to newer and quieter staff to help them develop confidence and build more meaningful, high-quality interactions with children
• review and adapt the organisation of daily routines and transition periods to ensure the consistent support of each child's individual needs