Little Dreamers Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop strong relationships with staff, who know children's routines and interests well. Children enjoy their time at the nursery and become confident and independent learners. Staff help children develop good social skills. Children make friends and play cooperatively, as they help one another to share favourite toys. Staff teach children the importance of adapting their play to take account of the differing needs of their friends. For instance, as toddlers practise moving along the low-level beam, they manoeuvre around their friends and change direction to give them space to cross. Children's behaviour is good.

Leaders understand the importance of developing communication and language skills for all children, including children with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children have wide access to books, and staff sing nursery rhymes. Children quickly join in with their favourites. Children choose books and sit with staff, who use these times to build on children's speaking skills. For instance, children point out 'mummy elephant' and search for where 'daddy' is hiding, as they excitedly point out, 'Here he is!' Where older children need additional support with speaking, staff use strategies such as language boards to support children's understanding and enable them to express their needs. Staff have high expectations for all children, which supports the good progress they make from their starting points.

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

• Leaders and staff are highly committed in supporting children with SEND. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals involved with children's care to promote shared strategies. Staff use their conversations with parents to work towards achievable goals for children. Any additional funding the nursery receives is used to support children's individual needs. Children with SEND make good progress alongside their peers in a supportive and inclusive environment.
• Children benefit from plentiful opportunities to play outdoors. For instance, during garden play toddlers quickly find ride-on cars and tractors as staff teach them how to use their feet to propel themselves. Children learn how to push pedals to move tricycles, as staff offer praise and encouragement. Older children practise playing football as they kick balls to each other. Children develop essential core strength, balance and coordination throughout their active play.
• Staff plan and provide activities that motivate children to learn. For instance, children practise moving 'chicks' into their home using tweezers. Toddlers learn how to manipulate tools to move them, persisting when activities are more challenging. Staff teach children that houses chickens live in are called 'coops'. However, at times, staff's understanding of what children's next steps in learning are is not fully embedded. Consequently, some activities are not fully tailored to what children need to know or to be able to do next to build on the good progress they make.
• Staff place a strong focus on children's personal, social and emotional development. They understand the importance of children developing skills for life, such as independence, confidence and kindness. Staff are good role models in their interactions with children. They offer praise and encouragement, and children develop a 'can-do' attitude to learning. These skills lay good foundations for future learning, including school, when the time comes.
• Staff encourage and support children's independence through daily routines, such as pouring their own drinks at mealtimes and tidying away toys as they get ready to go outside. Overall, transitions between activities and daily routines run smoothly. However, at times, routines for younger children are not as well thought out, such as before mealtimes. This means that some children are not sure what is expected of them and others become disengaged in their learning at times.
• Leaders and staff establish secure partnerships with parents. Parents report that they are happy with the progress their children make at the nursery and value the kind and caring staff. Daily conversations with staff help parents know what children's daily activities are. Staff offer advice and support, including around children's sleep and toilet training, to help support learning at home.
• Staff have supervision sessions with leaders to support them in fulfilling their roles and responsibilities. Staff say that they enjoy working at the nursery. They feel valued in their roles, as leaders recognise their work and achievements and celebrate these as a team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to plan and implement clearer learning intentions for children so that their teaching is consistently focused on what they want children to learn next
• strengthen transition times during the day to ensure that routines are well structured and consistently meet the needs of all children.