Little Fishes Pre-school and Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff warmly welcome children and their families to this friendly, little nursery. Children arrive ready to start their day and enthusiastically engage in activities. Staff support children's learning as they play. For example, staff help children to make play dough, encouraging them to smell and describe the ingredients. They support children to count wooden bricks as they build a tower and extend language, introducing the terms 'diagonal' and 'horizontal' as they play noughts and crosses.

Staff are sensitive and caring. They build positive, warm relationships with all children and are immediately responsive to children who become upset. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. They have a very positive attitude to their learning, and they behave well.

Children delight in adventures in the local community with members of staff. They talk excitedly about the things they see around them. For example, different fruits at the grocery store and the plants growing by the river. Older children are keen to complete a colour hunt, identifying different objects they have seen.

Parents are extremely happy with the care and education that the nursery provides. They comment that their children have made good progress at the nursery. Children are well prepared for the next steps in their education, including school.

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

• Children are confident communicators. Staff use books and stories well to support children's language development. For example, they introduce new words such as 'unique' and 'patchwork' as they read the story of the week. Staff also use sign language and pictures to support younger children's development. Older children have a wide vocabulary and are keen to share their ideas and experiences.
• Children are very independent. They select activities and resources according to their interests and manage their own personal care. Staff encourage children to prepare their own snacks. Children pour the milk, cut the fruit and wash up their plates. Staff nurture children's personal, social and emotional development well.
• Staff provide enriching experiences for children that help them to make sense of the world around them. For example, during trips away from the setting, they teach children about road safety and support them to understand that neighbourhood signs have meaning. Children develop empathy and respect for others as staff explain why someone might need a mobility scooter.
• Children of different ages play together throughout the day. This enables them to learn from one another and supports children's understanding of their own needs and those of others. Staff generally adapt activities well to support the needs of different ages of children. For example, staff talk to older children about different species of insects as they explore with magnifying glasses. They use simple language for younger children and show them how to hold the equipment. However, there are occasions when older children receive more attention than their younger peers, which means that the needs of the youngest children are not fully met.
• Children are supported in developing creative skills as they use their fingers and brushes to paint on printed sheets. Staff teach children how to change a baby doll's nappy through role play. However, there are limited opportunities for children to express their own ideas through creative and imaginative play.
• Staff and leaders value parents as partners. Children enjoy taking the nursery mascot home with them to create a photo diary, which they share with staff and their friends when they return. This provides opportunities for language development and supports communication between home and nursery. Staff also use 'All About Me' books to share the next steps in children's development with parents, which helps to promote continuity of care.
• Senior leaders are highly effective. They regularly evaluate the efficacy of the setting and, as a result, the nursery is continuously improving. Leaders support the staff team extremely well. They ensure that staff attend regular training and have the knowledge, skills and support they need to carry out their roles successfully. Staff are happy, and they work effectively as a team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• adapt the learning environment, the learning experiences that are offered and the daily routine further to fully meet the needs of children under two years old
• provide extended opportunities for children to express their ideas through creative and imaginative play.