Little Fingers Community Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and confident in this welcoming and caring nursery. They have secure and trusting relationships with each other and staff, which helps to support their emotional well-being. Children confidently choose from a wide range of activities, which have been carefully planned by staff to promote their interests. Staff provide many opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. Children eagerly help to arrange a traffic course with bicycles, where they practise skills such as balance and spatial awareness. Younger children learn how to safely use equipment, such as how to push a scooter. This helps them to learn how to manage risks, as well as acquire new skills.

Children behave very well. They know the routines and rules for the nursery. Staff are consistent in their expectations of children's behaviour. They use lots of praise and positive reinforcement to good effect, and children are keen to please. Staff place a great importance on promoting children's emotional well-being. They collect information about children's home lives and experiences to help to meet their individual needs. As a result, children build a positive sense of self. Staff recognise the challenges that children faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. They place an emphasis on supporting children to develop their social and language skills.

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

• Staff have a good understanding of the curriculum and how individual children learn. They plan a rich and varied selection of well-organised activities to encourage children to explore and build on what they already know. This helps children to make good progress.
• The nursery manager has high expectations for all staff. Staff say that they feel valued and enjoy working at the nursery. They have regular opportunities to discuss professional development through supervision sessions. At times, there is not consistent communication between the manager and the committee. For example, Ofsted has not been notified of changes to committee members. This is a breach of requirements. However, the impact on children is minimised because committee members do not work directly with children.
• Staff have established strong links with the community that the nursery serves. Staff organise weekly events within the nursery for children to meet with local older people. This helps to broaden children's knowledge of people and communities in the world around them.
• Staff interact with children well. They use opportunities to extend children's learning experiences and engage in meaningful conversations. Staff give children time to pause and think when asked a question, and listen to their responses with interest. However, occasionally, staff become distracted by other children engaged in different activities. This means that, at times, children are not consistently benefiting from learning experiences that extend their understanding of the planned curriculum.
• Staff place a strong focus on children's language development, which is clearly evident in the nursery. They speak clearly and precisely, so that children, including children who speak English as an additional language, learn new vocabulary. Staff use stories to help all children to gain confidence with speaking. Subsequently, older children speak confidently during snack time about the food they are eating.
• Children develop their growing vocabulary, for example, through songs and discussion. Staff make books readily available to children, who use them regularly and request that staff read to them. Children take great joy in repeating familiar phrases in stories. This helps children to develop a love of reading and become confident communicators.
• Staff use mathematical language in everyday activities to embed children's knowledge and understanding. For example, they encourage children to count as they scoop sand into containers using their fingers to provide a visual prompt for children.
• Children have lots of fun and show positive attitudes to their learning. Staff support children to have a 'can-do' attitude. They encourage children to keep on trying when they encounter difficulties. Staff use praise and encouragement consistently. Children delight in their achievements when they reach their goals. For example, staff gently encourage children to dress themselves for outdoor play, offering encouragement to keep trying. This helps children to become resilient and confident learners.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents are confident in the knowledge that their children are happy, safe and well cared for at nursery. They know their children's key person and receive regular communication regarding their children's learning and development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop communication further between leadership to continue to support the smooth running of the nursery
• embed the curriculum intent fully to consistently help all children to make more-rapid progress.