Little Cheeky Monkeys 2006 Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are highly motivated, confident and exceptionally enthusiastic learners. They are immensely happy in this vibrant nursery. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents leave their children at the nursery door. Special video messages sent to children by their key persons during the COVID-19 lockdown have helped them to settle back into nursery life easily. Children keenly explore the purposefully organised learning opportunities. They use paint and pencils to create highly detailed pictures. Children describe their masterpieces using extensive vocabulary and show their wonderful imaginations. Older children immerse themselves in their learning by frequently making choices about how they wish to spend their time at nursery. They delight as they move between the outside and indoor areas all day. Children's behaviour is excellent. For example, they show thoughtful consideration and respect for other children during role play. They eagerly respond to staff's questioning and patiently listen to their friends while they are speaking. Older children share very strong friendships with their peers and are extremely well prepared for the next stage in their lives, such as starting school.

Children are excellent communicators. Pre-school children confidently hold lengthy conversations about their home life, interests, such as astronomy, and the science experiments they enjoy at nursery. Staff understand how each child prefers to learn and what their special interests are. Toddlers have exciting opportunities to use their senses through exploratory play in water. They delight in swirling the glitter bubbles that they create with soap. Their curiosity to explore is enhanced by staff, who hide small and large toy sharks for them to find. Children are superbly supported by staff, who sit in close proximity to them. Staff take every opportunity to extend children's learning and help them acquire new knowledge. They celebrate each child's uniqueness and the excellent progress that they make.

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

• The manager is inspirational in her pursuit to provide the highest quality of care and education for children. She shares her ambitious curriculum and vision for the setting confidently with her highly experienced staff. The calm and motivating leadership style of the manager, and her strong relationship with staff, ensures that staff benefit greatly from the coaching and mentoring they receive. Staff are skilled at making sure that what happens in the nursery builds on what children already know and can do. For instance, they provided children and their families with ongoing support, home activities, projects and regular updates during the COVID-19 lockdowns. These were provided in an enjoyable and unique way to support children's understanding of sustainability and provide reassurance.
• It is no surprise that parents are tremendously complimentary about this nursery. It is an exciting place where everyone is committed to children's learning and well-being. Parents regularly receive video clips and photos to show children's achievements and learning via electronic learning journals. They especially appreciate how staff introduce early science to their children, through activities about the solar system. Parents also share that they really welcomed videos provided by the team during lockdown about changes to the nursery as a result of COVID-19. They say this was exceptionally effective in helping their children to maintain secure attachments with staff. Parents express their willingness to travel out of their way, so that their children can attend the setting.
• Babies are extremely well settled. This is enhanced by consistent key staff who care for them and provide a very calm and gentle approach towards all aspects of their care. Babies confidently explore their immediate environment. They empty and refill baskets in between crawling up and over small climbing apparatus. Children navigate the space well and gain confidence in themselves by observing their older peers.
• Children of all ages encounter an abundance of books and stories wherever they play. During story time, staff are highly successful in creating anticipation and they introduce animated voices for each of the characters, to bring the story alive. This helps to promote children's early literacy extremely well. The focus on physical development is nicely incorporated into literacy. For example, practitioners expertly adapt familiar rhymes into role play. Children pretend to wash the spider away and swish through long grass.
• There is superb support for children's physical development. Babies curiously explore textures, shapes and sizes as they learn to hold objects. Toddlers confidently use potato peelers to strip twigs of their bark. Pre-school children analyse the change in substance, while skilfully using pipettes and test tubes. They also learn new language such as 'vinegar' and 'bicarbonate of soda'. Children demonstrate excellent spatial awareness and coordination as they run and chase in the impressive range of outdoor areas.
• Staff identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly. The manager and staff liaise with specialist teachers and other professionals to plan timely and successful interventions. This means that children with SEND are extremely well included, feel safe and make significant progress in their learning and development.
• Staff help children to embrace everyone's uniqueness superbly. They portray difference positively through displays and extensive resources, such as role play items made by staff, reflecting diverse families. Children delight in looking at photographs of themselves and their family. Staff use information they receive from parents to help teach children about diversity, different cultures and religion. For instance, they recreate a wedding day using a selection of family photographs. This helps to teach children about the world they live in and prepares them for life in modern Britain.
• Children behave very well and play extremely cooperatively together. They listen intently and respond positively to staff. Children beam with pride as staff acknowledge their achievements, such as counting and identifying numbers, reading simple words and writing their name.