Little Explorers Day Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled. They respond easily to the welcoming, friendly staff. Children learn to be kind to their friends and use their 'walking feet' indoors. They enjoy taking responsibility, such as helping staff clear the tables ready for a painting activity. Staff have a clear focus for the curriculum and help all children achieve good progress. Children demonstrate good use of imagination. For example, they enjoy going on a walk with staff to find some 'swishy, swashy' grass and act out a favourite story about a bear. Pre-school children pretend to make meals for staff of 'linguine' or 'apple and roast chicken'. They tell a visitor that a mermaid lives under the sea with the fishes.

Children learn about their community and people who help us. For example, local firefighters visit and talk with children about keeping safe. Children enjoy seeing the firefighters' uniforms and fire engine. Children enjoy going with staff to visit the residents of a nearby care home where they sing songs, read stories and play 'Bingo' together. Staff sometimes take children on a bus trip to a museum or for a walk to feed the ducks. All children enjoy songs and rhymes. Babies smile when they hear a song about animals living in the jungle. Toddlers learn to understand early number language, as they sing songs and use their fingers to count to five. Pre-school children join in with their 'Let's make a circle' song as they sit down together for a group activity.

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

• Leaders have worked hard since registration to develop the provision offered. They continue to make improvements, such as to change the layout of play areas and enable children to access more activities. Leaders are clear about the curriculum they want staff to provide to help children gain the skills needed for their future learning at school.
• Staff continue to develop their understanding of children's needs. For example, they have raised their awareness of how to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) more effectively. They liaise well with parents and other professionals involved to provide a consistent approach, and plan activities to promote the specific individual abilities of children with SEND through their play.
• Staff are sensitive and caring and manage children's individual care needs with respect. For example, staff ask babies before they wipe their noses. They talk with parents about how their child likes to wake up from their sleep to ensure children feel comfortable and happy. Staff support all children to follow positive hygiene routines, such as washing hands before eating. Staff follow clear procedures to help prevent the spread of infection.
• Leaders support staff well to improve their teaching. They suggest adding further resources to extend a sensory activity and praise staff for adapting activities to include all children. However, they have not yet embedded systems to help them monitor all aspects of staff practice further, for example to help staff enable all children to follow their spontaneous ideas through fully in their play and to improve the organisation of some daily routines.
• Children learn to behave well. Staff act as good role models and encourage children to use good manners from a young age. Children play cooperatively overall and learn how to manage their emotions appropriately.
• Parents speak highly of staff and say they are happy with the provision offered. They comment positively on the good communication staff provide, keeping them well informed and involved with their children's progress.
• Staff encourage children's communication skills well overall. Babies have fun and begin to make the sounds of the toy animals they play with in a sensory activity. They smile as staff reinforce the sounds. Toddlers learn more complex words, such as 'pterodactyl'. Pre-school children join in enthusiastically with repeated phrases of a favourite story. However, at times, staff do not always organise group activities well enough to engage all children's participation and extend their language and understanding.
• Children enjoy daily physical play. For example, babies like to crawl through a small tunnel or throw balls into a ball pool. Pre-school children develop their balance and coordination skills by walking carefully along a wooden beam. Children learn to control their bodies, such as when following simple yoga exercises.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff understanding of how to make the best use of learning opportunities to promote all children's language and literacy skills as effectively as possible
• continue to embed the systems for monitoring staff practice to help them meet the learning needs and ideas of all children consistently well.