Little Elms Daycare Beckenham 1

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled at this inclusive nursery. Key staff know children well, which helps them to feel safe and comfortable. Children follow the established routines well, such as when they put away their belongings. Older children sign themselves on to the register through the online app and settle down quickly. This shows how well children develop their self-care skills in preparation for their eventual move on to school.

Staff plan and implement a broad curriculum for children, including providing tailored support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those from a disadvantaged background. Staff engage with children's play and hold discussions about things they are interested in. For instance, toddlers and pre-school children delight in recreating their favourite stories as they become pirates. They look for treasure and build bridges for the 'billy goats gruff' to cross. This supports children's emerging love of books.

Staff support children's capabilities to develop their physical skills. For example, children are proficient at manoeuvring wheeled toys, climbing and using the slide. They practise using one-handed tools to develop their small hand muscles. This supports children to develop the skills needed for early writing skills. Staff create a positive atmosphere for children to feel self-assured and develop their self-esteem.

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

• Leaders and staff plan a clear and varied curriculum that supports children to continually make progress as they move through the nursery. For instance, they focus the curriculum for the youngest children on building attachments and providing a nurturing environment. For the older children, staff support children's social and self-help skills and help them to be ready for school.
• Leaders place a strong focus throughout the curriculum on children's communication and language, which overall, staff support well. Younger children develop their communication skills as they listen to stories and join in with singing. Older children develop their conversation skills during group time. They understand that they need to listen to their friends and wait for their turn to talk. However, staff in the younger rooms rely on children using their comforters, and this impacts on their language development. Also, staff do not consistently support children to hear clear pronunciation of words to extend their vocabulary further.
• Staff teach children about healthy choices and lifestyles, including the nutritional benefits of food. Children develop strong self-help skills and independence. For example, babies feed themselves and older children serve themselves. Overall, the deployment of staff is good. However, staff's communication as a team is not consistently clear, particularly with new or less-experienced staff. Many staff focus on small groups of children, rather than looking to see where their interactions would make the most impact. This means that, at these times, children's needs are not consistently met.
• Overall, staff support children to behave well. Children develop strong friendships with their peers. They are curious and have a positive attitude to their learning. However, at times, staff are not always consistent in managing children's unwanted behaviour. For example, some staff clearly explain why some behaviours are not acceptable and support children to understand what it means to share. Other staff tell children to share without offering any explanation. This means children do not always understand staff's expectations or how to manage their behaviours.
• Staff support children to develop mathematical concepts by encouraging them to count and find shapes to compare the size during play. For example, children eagerly discuss how their 'potions' pots are 'full' and count sea creatures in water play.
• Partnerships with parents and carers are good. Staff work closely with parents to ensure that children's individual needs are met. Parents feel informed about their child's learning and receive ideas of how they can support their child's learning at home. For example, staff send regular reports home to show the progress children have made.
• Leaders carry out supervision sessions with staff. They use these meetings to identify issues with workload and support staff's well-being. Staff have opportunities to build on their knowledge and skills through continual professional development and to gain further childcare qualifications.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's skills in supporting children's language development further
• review staffing arrangements to ensure that children always benefit from consistently high-quality practice
• support staff with further strategies to help children to learn to regulate their behaviour.