Little Angels' Schoolhouse

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled. They form strong bonds with the caring and enthusiastic staff. They show they feel safe and secure as they explore the wide range of carefully thought out activities. Children are curious and show a desire to learn. For example, babies smile and laugh as they pour and scoop sand. They squeal with delight as staff help them to walk in the sand and explore the texture with their feet. Older children show fascination as they plant sunflower seeds, suggesting that their flower 'will reach the sky' when it has grown.

Children behave well and understand what is expected of them. They show high levels of kindness towards their friends, staff and visitors. For example, children proudly hold the door open for the inspector when they come inside for lunch after spending time in the garden. The newly introduced canteen provides children with the opportunity to develop their relationships with each other, as they eat, talk and laugh with each other.

Children have countless opportunities to learn about their local community. For example, children recently visited the local foodbank to donate contributions they had collected. Children gain an understanding of difference. Parents are invited into the nursery to talk about their cultural traditions. Children recently enjoyed visiting the local church during Easter and coming together for a party during Eid.

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

• Staff know the children well and are swift to identify any gaps in their learning. They provide targeted support to help give children the best start to their education. This includes interventions from other professionals, where appropriate. This helps all children, including those who receive funding and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff are nurturing and calm, and this contributes to the warm environment that is felt throughout the setting. They listen to what children have to say and adapt the routine to meet the individual needs of the children, such as spending more time outside if children are showing high levels of enjoyment or focus. Overall, staff understand how to support children in managing their emotions, offering comfort and support. However, staff sometimes miss opportunities to help children understand how to manage conflicts or help them to express how they are feeling.
• The new leadership team has worked hard to implement positive changes since being in post. The team has ensured that staff are well supported, providing regular supervision and professional development opportunities. For example, staff comment how rewarding they found the recent training around supporting children with SEND. Parents comment that they feel listened to and their feedback is taken on board. Leaders are passionate about delivering high-quality education and creating a curriculum based on the children's individual needs and interests.
• Staff actively support children to develop healthy lifestyles. Children show immense joy at being outside. Their physical skills are enhanced as they scoot, cycle and run around. They enjoy eating healthy and nutritious food at lunchtime. After lunch, children brush their teeth, demonstrating their understanding of oral health.
• Children are strong communicators and enjoy sharing their ideas and observations. They enjoy exploring creative activities and incorporating their previous learning. For example, older children proudly show the inspector what they made from dough, explaining, 'It is a triangle; it has three points.' This demonstrates their understanding of shape and number.
• Staff know the children well and plan activities based on what children are interested in and what they need to learn next. Staff are passionate and respond to children with genuine enthusiasm. Overall, staff use effective questioning when communicating with children, to extend conversations and build on children's learning. However, on occasion, they do not always make the most of spontaneous opportunities to extend children's learning further, to enable the children to develop their own thinking skills further.
• Parents speak highly of the setting. They comment that their children always arrive happy and eager to start their day. They appreciate the regular updates they receive and how involved they can be. They explain that staff are friendly, kind and welcoming. Parents value the recent developments that have been introduced, such as having a nutritionist working alongside the cook and the newly introduced mud kitchen outside.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's understanding of how to extend children's learning and thinking skills during focused and child-initiated play
• continue to support staff's understanding of how to manage children's behaviour and how to help children understand and express how they are feeling.