Little Feet Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and staff create an environment that children enjoy accessing. Babies and toddlers happily look in the mirror while staff engage them in a game of peekaboo. Babies laugh in delight and say 'hi' as they wave at themselves. Staff point and teach babies to identify body parts as they play together. Babies begin to establish a sense of self and learn about the world around them.

Older children learn how to care for themselves. Staff teach children how to care for their teeth. They provide activities which encourage children to use toothbrushes to clean pretend dirty teeth. Children learn about the plaque and use their own toothbrush to clean their teeth after lunch. Children are beginning to learn important skills related to how to care for themselves.

Overall, staff sequence activities that build on what children already know and can do. For instance, over time, children develop key skills ready for writing. Babies develop their core strength as they crawl and climb. Staff also offer activities to develop children's hand muscles. Children focus as they carefully post spaghetti through the holes in a colander. This helps all children begin to develop the physical skills they need to be competent writers in the future.

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

• Since the last inspection, leaders and staff have worked to develop an ambitious curriculum for the nursery. They have sought advice from the local authority and identified areas for improvement. Bespoke training has been delivered as part of the development plan. Staff are enthusiastic and motivated about the education programme they now deliver to children. Self-evaluation is effectively used to develop the nursery, which benefits the children, as they receive a higher quality of education.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with families and other professionals to enable children to access the assistance they need. The nursery accesses additional funding for children who are eligible. All children are provided with high-quality support to make the progress of which they are capable.
• Staff know their key children well. Children establish positive relationships with their key person and feel safe and secure. They ask for help and know that their needs will be met. The key-person system promotes children's well-being. Children feel their voice is heard.
• Leaders and staff have developed a curriculum that is designed to meet the needs of children who attend the setting. There is a strong focus on the development of children's life skills as they progress through the nursery. For instance, children practise putting their shoes and socks on each day. Children have made good progress since the introduction of the new curriculum.
• In the main, staff support children to understand the behaviour expectations for the nursery. Golden rules have been introduced to help children think about what they should be doing. Staff remind children to have listening ears and kind hands as they play. Children's behaviour is good. That said, there are times when staff do not model some expected behaviours. When children are loud, staff can sometimes raise their own voices to be heard. This does not support children to learn expected behaviours through consistent staff modelling.
• On the whole, learning is sequenced so that children develop new skills and independence. Leaders recognise that older children do not yet have the physical skills needed to pour drinks. As a result, adults pour drinks for them. However, they have not considered ways to help children to develop these key skills within their play. Leaders do not always support staff to adapt the curriculum when needed.
• Leaders introduce targeted support for children's communication development. Staff provide children with lots of opportunity through stories, songs and rhymes to develop their communication skills. Babies and toddlers learn simple action songs and clap in delight when they have finished. Older children sing about washing faces and brushing teeth. However, sometimes when staff talk to children, they do not give enough time for children to respond to a question before they answer for them. This does not allow children the opportunity to process questions and share their own thoughts and ideas.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• encourage staff to model behaviours for children, in order to increase their understanding of expectations
• consider ways to increase staff understanding of how to best implement the curriculum, particularly with regard to supporting children's independence and their critical thinking skills.