Little Chimps Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop strong attachments. They frequently seek out staff to share experiences with them. Children build healthy relationships. For example, as babies wake up from sleep, they are warmly greeted by other babies who lean towards them and babble. Children are extremely sociable. Their behaviour is good.

Children learn about diversity and culture. They build a representation of what homes look like in other countries. This positively impacts those children whose heritage is not predominantly English. Children discuss how houses in Zimbabwe look different to those in 'Cannock'. They are critical thinkers. For example, children place blocks alongside boxes to stop their houses falling. They place egg boxes on their head to mimic what people in other cultures do to transport belongings. Children acquire good balancing skills. They display high levels of concentration as they move slowly across the room. Children look at literature to inspire their curiosity and understanding of the world around them. They talk about the lives of inspirational people, such as the Queen.

Children acquire the skills, knowledge and attitudes to prepare them for school. They are extremely confident to explore the environment. Children use expressive language during play. They communicate what they are thinking. For example, as children stack tins, they say 'five'. They do this without counting each individual tin, demonstrating prior knowledge for number. Children develop excellent mathematical skills. They thread beads which they later use to count and measure.

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

• Children benefit from a well-planned learning environment which ignites their curiosity. They settle extremely well. Staff place familiar items into the environment to offer children comfort. Leaders see the environment as the 'third teacher'. They ensure it is tailored to meet the needs of all children.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive a wealth of support within the curriculum. For example, staff use effective communication tools to ensure children can make choices within their environment. They send books home to support parents to practise sign language with children. Parents are extremely happy with the nursery. They say how effective staff are in identifying key indicators that children need additional support.
• Children benefit from a wealth of opportunities to practise their communication and language skills. They use sign language to sing familiar songs. Staff read stories to children and engage them in group discussions. For example, children discuss illustrations and link what they see to prior experiences. Staff carefully focus their teaching and interactions to challenge children's ideas. They build on children's vocabulary and confidence. However, leaders do not make the best use of their monitoring of staff practice to identify precisely how to help raise the quality of teaching to the highest level.
• Children of all ages benefit from weekly trips away from the nursery. For example, they visit the local pet shop. Staff take resources to the local fields and forest areas to enhance the outdoor curriculum. Overall, they identify the benefits that outdoor learning has on children's understanding of the world. However, there are times when staff do not make full use of opportunities to support children who learn best outdoors.
• Staff work in partnership with school teachers to understand expectations for children in the Reception Year. Teachers highlight the need for self-care skills and independence. Therefore, the routine ensures opportunities, for even the youngest of children, to develop confidence in age-appropriate self-care skills. This ensures children are school ready. For example, at mealtimes, babies select their own cutlery. They are confident to feed themselves. Children use pincers to select their own snack. They help themselves to a drink. Older children find their name and place it in the jar. This registers their attendance to the snack table. As a result, children develop excellent levels of independence and self-esteem.
• Continuous professional development is an integral part of the nursery's organisation. The company director sees self-evaluation as top priority to drive improvement. Leaders ensure training is purposeful. They constantly evaluate the impact training has on children's learning. Staff are enthusiastic in their roles and complete their own research about child development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• monitor staff practice to precisely identify how they can further extend their good teaching skills, to maximise the learning opportunities for children
• review planning to make full use of opportunities to support children who learn best outdoors.