Little Explorers Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy coming to nursery, and some of them run in without waving goodbye to their parents. The staff are there for those children who need extra support to separate from parents, to provide them with help and reassurance. Children settle quickly in a safe environment with the different toys set out for them to play with. Staff provide a wide range of activities for children to choose from. The younger children are busy as they wash babies in the water and explore the messy play in the garden. Older children play on the obstacle course to develop their physical skills. They balance on wooden blocks and soft play beams. They show respect for each other as they wait and take turns.

Children develop their independence. For example, they choose their own seat at lunchtime and begin to use cutlery correctly with support from staff. Children enjoy singing songs and using the African drum to make soft and loud sounds. They practise songs and dances to perform at their graduation ceremony. Children enjoy the outside area. They enjoy water play as they investigate a fountain that is powered by solar panels. They develop their creativity and early mark making skills at they paint hero shields.

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

• Staff have clear goals for what they want the children to learn from the various activities they provide. For example, they plan a water activity to teach children about weight and density. Children weigh the items in their hands and try to guess if they will sink or float.
• The key-worker system is effective and staff have a good knowledge of their key children and how to support their learning and development. They know their key child's starting points and plan pertinent next steps that are unique to each child's learning needs. They use flashcards and emoji pillows to support children's emotions.
• Staff use lots of different words throughout the day, such as soft, lumpy and heavy to help children with their vocabulary. However, some of these words are already known to the children. Staff do not consistently introduce new words to provide a rich language environment and build on what children already know.
• Parents speak highly of how the staff support them with children's development, through daily feedback, parents meetings and an online journal. Parents appreciate the help they receive with sharing tips on how to potty train and how to access other agencies for support where necessary.
• The special educational needs and/or disability (SEND) coordinator has a good overview of how children who are on the SEND register are developing. The paperwork to seek additional support is completed in a timely manner. This ensures support from other agencies is swiftly implemented to help children who need any additional input to make good progress in their learning.
• Most children are able to access outdoor activities as staff generally position themselves around the garden to provide help and ensure children's safety. However, some children do not consistently receive the support they need to enable them to access the activities. They sometimes wander around the garden without staff support and as a result, valuable learning experiences are lost.
• Procedures are in place to make staff feel well supported with supervisions and peer-on-peer observations. There are training programs for staff to access, ensuring the quality of staff teaching is being consistently developed and improved.
• Management have a sound overview of the curriculum and they way that children learn. They ensure that staff provide a sequenced approach to children's learning to build on what children already know and can do. For example, babies learn how to babble, move on to single words and then put two words together. This structure is implemented throughout the nursery. As a result, all children make progress in their development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide children with even more opportunities to develop their vocabulary and learn new words
• support children who need a little more help to access activities, especially outdoors, in order to fully maximise their learning.