Little Bo Peep Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily arrive at this homely and welcoming nursery. They leave their parents or carers with ease and are eager to begin their play. The caring team of staff offer children a warm welcome. They greet them with a smile and a big cuddle. Children demonstrate they feel safe and secure. They engage in a wide range of play activities which staff plan around their individual interests and next steps in learning. Children listen attentively to stories read by enthusiastic staff. They excitedly join in with action songs and rhymes. Babies are provided with lots of opportunities for exploratory play. They use their senses to investigate textures, such as cereal. Staff sit alongside them to offer encouragement and support. They use single words and associative sounds to support the youngest children's emerging speech.

Children learn the importance of good hygiene. Staff remind them to wash their hands at regular intervals throughout the day. Children enjoy nutritious home-cooked meals and snacks prepared by the on-site cook. They have daily opportunities for fresh air and exercise. Children have fun as they play outside in the well-resourced garden. They excitedly climb on small apparatus and ride on wheeled toys. This helps children to develop strength in their bodies. Staff sensitively attend to children's personal care.

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

• The leadership and management of the nursery are strong. The owner and the manager have designated roles and responsibilities. They work well together and make a good team. Leaders know what they do well and areas they would like to further develop. They encourage staff to continue with their professional development. Staff access online training which is tailored around their interests and development needs. This helps staff to improve their already good knowledge and skills.
• Settling-in procedures are good. Staff invite children and parents to attend taster sessions to become familiar with the surroundings and build relationships with the staff team. This supports the move between home and nursery effectively.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress from their starting points. Staff work in close partnership with parents and other professionals to support children with SEND effectively. They ensure that precise and targeted support plans are in place to support children's individual learning needs.
• The key-person system is effective. Staff know children and their families well. They share information with parents about their children's time at the nursery in a range of ways. For example, they speak to them at the beginning and end of the day, add information to daily diaries and regularly update online learning records. This helps to keep parents informed about their children's achievements and supports them to continue children's learning at home.
• Parents are very happy with the care and education their children receive. They say that their children have quickly settled and really enjoy their time at the nursery. Parents speak highly of the friendly and caring staff and comment on their great communication.
• Children display positive attitudes to learning. Staff provide them with a good range of child-initiated and adult-directed play. They know what it is they want children to learn and why. However, there are occasions when staff miss opportunities to fully support and extend children's learning. For example, during everyday routines, such as mealtimes, staff focus primarily on meeting children's care needs rather than continuing or enhancing their learning.
• Staff provide children with some opportunities to learn about cultural celebrations, such as Chinese New Year and Diwali. Children enjoy art and craft activities and reading stories together. However, staff are yet to provide children with enough experiences to teach them about diversity in the world around them.
• Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children learn to share, take turns and play cooperatively together. Staff remind them to use good manners throughout the day. From an early age, children learn the language of feelings. Staff encourage them to identify how they feel from pictures displayed on the wall. During small-group activities, children tell staff they are feeling happy today.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review staff's practice during daily routines, such as mealtimes, to maximise learning opportunities for all children
• provide children with even more experiences to learn about diversity in the world around them.