Little Explorers Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The leader and staff provide a very special nursery where children and families are at its heart. Children are cherished by staff. They thrive in this very calm, homely, nurturing and fully inclusive nursery. Children feel safe, secure and happy. Staff teach children to identify and name the range of emotions that they experience. This has a positive impact on children's understanding and helps them to control their own behaviour. Children develop empathy. They are respectful and very caring towards each other and living creatures. Babies and children are very gentle when they stroke Peter, the pet rabbit. They also help to care for Ottie, the axolotl. Children's behaviour is excellent.

Children concentrate incredibly well as they design and build a tower using construction kits. They describe themselves as 'architects' as they work cooperatively together to succeed in their self-chosen task. Children develop resourcefulness and problem-solving skills. They identify that the tower is too tall and politely ask staff to 'lift them up to reach the top'. Children speak confidently to visitors and ask them to 'hold the tape measure' while they 'pull it'. Staff teach children how to use the retractable tape measure effectively. Children recognise the numbers and state 'one, seven and zero'. Staff skilfully help them to understand that the length is 170 centimetres. They have the highest expectations of what each child can achieve.

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

• Staff are inspirational and passionate professionals, who are strong advocates for all children. They provide exceptional support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff work very closely with a wide range of professionals, including teachers for children who are blind or partially sighted and the local authority inclusion team. Staff use carefully constructed support plans to help children to succeed. External professionals praise staff for their 'dedication, sensitivity and inclusiveness'. The leader is highly effective. She contributes to national research projects and is invited to share her practice to inform teaching in other settings.
• Children are highly independent and motivated. They show sustained levels of concentration. Children learn about the importance of following the recipe and adding the correct quantities of ingredients when making dough. They develop their understanding of what happens to the mixture when the ingredients are not measured accurately. Staff challenge children's thinking and problem-solving skills. Children learn that adding more flour reduces the water and helps the dough to develop 'elasticity' and 'stretch'.
• Staff focus strongly on developing children's language and literacy skills. They read expressively, use suspense to capture children's attention and bring stories to life using puppets. Younger children show delight as staff use 'Boris' the puppet to engage them in stories. Older children develop an excellent knowledge of traditional stories, such as 'The Gingerbread Man'. They develop memory and accurately retell the story when baking gingerbread biscuits. Staff read stories with rhyming words, such as 'house' and 'mouse', from an early age. This helps babies to know what comes next.
• Children's emotional well-being is supported incredibly well. Children develop strong attachments to their consistent key person and display their trust. Children, toddlers and babies enter nursery eagerly and enjoy a wonderful welcome from their key person. They develop a deep sense of belonging. Key persons provide highly flexible settling-in sessions when children start to attend. They carefully support babies and children when they move to other rooms and to school. This helps children to continue learning seamlessly.
• Parent and carers speak extremely highly of the nursery. Some state that they do not know what they would do without the nursery. Parents and carers are very pleased with the support their children receive and their progress. They are kept informed about their children's development through daily discussions, an online app and open evenings. Parents and carers describe how staff 'treat children equally' and 'show genuine affection and patience'.
• Staff promote children's physical skills exceedingly well. Children challenge themselves as they run energetically up the steps to the highest level in the garden. They develop strength, coordination and control of their bodies. Babies develop hand-to-eye coordination skills. They accurately hit the hanging tin cans with a stick to make music and dance excitedly. Older children create patterns using small coloured pegs. They develop fine movement skills in preparation for later writing.