Little Elms Bromley

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and have fun at this nursery. Leaders have a clear vision for the curriculum, which they share with staff, who implement this effectively. This ensures that all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress in their learning and development. Staff are inventive with the activities they provide to spark children's interest and excitement to learn. For example, they provide resources for children to explore their senses while mixing potions in the water tray. They talk to children about what they can smell and feel while they are squeezing fruit, herbs and moss before mixing these together.

Relationships are warm and caring. Children form strong bonds with their key person in the nursery. Staff know children and their families well and talk to them about special people and events in their lives. Children behave well and staff remind them to share and take turns in their play. They are encouraged to talk about their feelings and emotions. Picture cards are available to enable children who are not yet confident talkers to be able to communicate their needs effectively. This helps children to begin to self-regulate their behaviour and to seek support from staff and friends when needed.

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

• Children's physical development is well supported. Staff position equipment to support babies to pull themselves up to stand and to practise their early walking skills. Toddlers confidently explore the nursery garden, carefully negotiating the space. Staff remind them to take turns so they do not bump into each other on the slide and offer guidance to help them to climb down safely.
• Staff support children to develop a love of reading through their passion for books. They make sure that a wide range of books are available for children to access in all areas of the nursery. Babies lean in to see the pictures as staff animatedly read with them, and indicate that they want a story read again. Pre-school children independently access craft resources. They carefully use scissors to cut paper and enjoy drawing and mark making with pencils and crayons, which helps to develop their early writing skills.
• Communication skills are generally very well supported throughout the nursery. Staff introduce new vocabulary and explain what these words mean. When babies babble, staff respond well, engaging them in a conversation rhythm. However, sometimes, when staff ask older children questions, they can be too quick to jump in with the next question before children can answer. This means that some children do not have time to fully process their thinking and respond.
• Children's independence is developed as they grow, throughout the nursery, because staff have increasing expectations of the things they can do for themselves. For example, at lunchtime, toddlers use spoons and forks to feed themselves. Older children carefully pass around the serving dish so they can each serve their own food; they use knives and forks when eating and pour water from a jug into their cup.
• Staff teach children about healthy food choices. They talk about the importance of brushing their teeth in the morning and at night. Staff follow babies' routines and support them to get to sleep when they are tired. However, staff do not consistently set clear expectations for children during routines, such as tidy-up time. As a result, some children continue playing and do not take responsibility for tidying up after themselves.
• Partnerships with parents are highly valued. Parents say that they are happy with the nursery. They appreciate the regular communication, both daily when they drop off and pick up their children, and through the online app. They say their children are happy at the nursery and they feel well informed about what is happening.
• Staff feel well supported by leaders. They appreciate that they have access to a wide range of training through the organisation as well as through the local authority. Staff work closely with parents and with external agencies to ensure that children with SEND and their parents receive additional support and guidance where needed.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to recognise when they need to allow children more time to process their thoughts and respond to questions
• ensure all children understand expectations, such as their responsibility to tidy up after play.