Little Angels Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff are good role models. They treat children, parents and each other with the utmost respect. Staff are kind and caring and develop strong bonds with the children. Children enjoy their time at this welcoming nursery, where they feel happy and safe. They are excited when they arrive and greet the staff with big hugs and beaming smiles. Staff encourage children to become independent. Children follow the nursery routines, which includes being responsible for their own belongings. On arrival, children confidently remove their own coats and hang them on their pegs. Babies learn to feed themselves. Staff place a high priority on toilet training and they support children effectively to develop and manage their personal care needs. Staff provide children with a stimulating learning environment, indoors and outdoors. Children are engaged for long periods of time.

Staff provide good support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language (EAL). Staff offer children one-to-one support, where needed. They work closely with other professionals to ensure children have targeted plans in place to help them to make the progress they are capable of. All children make good progress from their starting points and develop positive attitudes towards their learning.

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

• The new manager has made significant improvements since the last inspection. Staff and managers have engaged in a variety of training and worked closely with the local authority to make effective changes. There has been a strong focus on behaviour management. The manager provides staff with effective supervision and ongoing support and training to help them to develop their practice.
• The manager ensures that an ambitious and varied curriculum, that supports children to make good progress, is implemented effectively by staff throughout the nursery. Children in receipt of additional funding are monitored very closely. The manager liaises with staff, parents and other professionals to decide the most appropriate and beneficial way to use the funding.
• Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Staff consistently apply successful strategies and so children respond positively to requests and instructions. Children play cooperatively, share and take turns. Children regularly ask others to join in their play.
• Staff teach children to count and recognise shapes and numbers. However, at times staff do not provide children with enough opportunities to further enhance their mathematical development and understanding beyond what they already know.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills well. They introduce new words to children as they play. Staff ask children questions to help to build on children's thinking and problem-solving skills. Staff sing songs, tell stories and hold discussions with children to help to support children's language development. Staff support children to develop a love of books. They read to children and encourage them to use books in their play. Children who speak EAL are especially well supported at the nursery. Staff help children to develop good language skills, both in their home languages and in English.
• Staff support children to develop an awareness of healthy lifestyles. Fresh drinking water is available at all times. Meals and snacks provided by the nursery are varied and nutritious. Staff ensure children have lots of opportunities to be physically active. Outdoors, children whizz around on wheeled toys. They laugh and giggle as they chase and pop bubbles. Indoors, children excitedly join in music and dance sessions. However, on occasions less-experienced staff do not always know how to extend children's learning as they play.
• Babies demonstrate they are emotionally secure in the nursery, as they smile and regularly snuggle up to staff for cuddles. Babies are confident to explore and investigate the wide range of toys and resources within their easy reach.
• Staff provide children with lots of praise and encouragement. This helps to build children's self-esteem and confidence.
• Parents are very complimentary about the staff. They say they appreciate the regular feedback from the staff about their children's learning. Parents appreciate the information they receive that enables them to work with their children at home. Parents comment on the good progress their children make.
• The well-being of the staff is very important to the management team, and staff report that they feel well supported.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the teaching of mathematics to help children to consistently build more on what they already know
• build on the support and guidance provided to less-experienced staff and help them to raise their quality of interactions with children during their play.