Little Beans Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this warm and nurturing setting. They develop strong and trusting bonds with staff and show that they feel extremely safe and at ease. These secure attachments give children the confidence to independently explore the indoor and outdoor areas. Children display increasing levels of independence with personal skills. For example, babies attempt to feed themselves and soon learn how to use a spoon competently. Toddlers get to know the nursery routines and help with tasks, such as tidying away their water beakers after mealtimes.

Staff have high expectations for children and want them to achieve all that they can. They thoughtfully plan the environment to meet the needs of the babies and toddlers who attend. Children make choices about their play and show high levels of involvement. For instance, toddlers display determination as they challenge themselves to bury plastic stars in the sandpit. They competently use spades to dig and shovel the sand. They show satisfaction when the stars can no longer be seen and use their emerging language skills to remark, 'hiding'. Babies display curiosity when they explore a 'treasure basket' filled with interesting objects and natural materials. Their play is purposeful as they set themselves tasks, such as filling containers and fitting objects inside each item.

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

• Staff plan the learning programmes well and children make good progress. Staff promote children's early communication skills, such as by talking, singing and reading books with them. On occasion, staff miss opportunities to support children as they try new skills, such as climbing the steps to the slide.
• Staff understand that young children learn effectively through exploratory play. They provide a wide variety of resources to stimulate their senses. As part of their Diwali celebrations, staff created intricate Rangoli patterns from various cereals. Staff encourage children to taste the cereals and to explore sounds and textures, by crushing them in their hands and under their feet.
• Children enjoy their learning immensely. Babies delight in singing songs with adults, they practise speech sounds and mimic actions as they take part with gusto. Toddlers discover that they can create marks as they drive cars through a tray of paint. They learn to distinguish between the colours and learn new vocabulary to describe their actions.
• Staff are positive role models and treat children with kindness and respect. They support children to understand behavioural boundaries. They use gentle reminders about sharing toys and having 'kind hands'. Staff provide opportunities for children to come together as a group. They learn each other's names and practise skills, such as taking turns. Children feel included and build relationships with others.
• There is a strong focus on promoting healthy and active lifestyles for children. Babies and toddlers enjoy the time they choose to play outdoors. They practise climbing and balancing and take part in vigorous activities, such as baby-football and tennis. Children eat nutritious meals and snacks. They learn good hygiene routines. They wash their hands regularly and clean their teeth after meals.
• Children are allocated a key person to cater for their individual care. Key persons speak about children with interest and affection. They monitor children's progress and plan interesting and challenging experiences.
• Senior staff send parents photographs of activities and information about children's daily care via an online app. The manager has started to look for ways to further develop the partnerships with parents, however, these are not fully effective. Not all parents are aware that their children have a key person to support them in guiding children's learning at home.
• The manager seeks the views of parents and staff to help identify where she can improve the provision. Staff receive regular training to develop their professional skills and help them keep children safe. Parents speak highly of the caring staff. They comment their children enjoy coming to nursery and have developed confidence and independence since joining.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff awareness of how to support children as they learn and practise new skills
• strengthen communication between parents and children's key persons, to support continuity in children's learning between home and setting.