Little Fishes Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children greet their friends and staff with a smile when they arrive at the setting. They demonstrate that they feel safe and secure, and immediately engage in the interesting activities that staff provide. Children cooperate well together and play happily with their friends. They illustrated this as they independently found the sand timer and waited patiently for their turn to use the balancing equipment. Staff provide good support to those children who find it more difficult to regulate their emotions. This helps children to develop an understanding of how their behaviour affects others. Staff have nurturing relationships with children. They praise children's efforts and promote their self-esteem and confidence very successfully.

Staff support children's developing vocabulary and language development well. For example, younger children repeat words such as 'splash' as they engage in water play. Older children make up games and are confident to communicate with their friends and with staff. They illustrated this as they found props within their environment and recalled their favourite stories.

The manager and staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language, highly effectively. They work closely alongside other professionals to provide targeted interventions. This helps children to achieve their full potential.

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

• Staff gather detailed information from parents when children first start at the nursery. This helps them to understand what children know and can do. Staff continue to make accurate assessments and organise a curriculum that promotes children's learning. Children make good progress from their starting points.
• Children develop a love of books. They join in with action songs and develop literacy skills as they recognise and repeat familiar rhyming words. Staff are highly animated and actively engage children in stories.
• Staff support children's independence skills well. For example, children learn to take care of their environment and are encouraged to tidy away toys. Staff model how to use equipment, such as the balancing board. This helps children develop the confidence they need to use resources independently.
• Children learn about the natural world. For instance, they find a worm outside and with care they transport it back to the soil. Children develop strength and stamina as they enthusiastically move soil across the garden. They engage in pretend cooking activities, source their own water and learn to think about volume as they fill up their pots and pans. Staff ask some thoughtful questions to extend children's learning. However, on occasion, some staff do not challenge the older children as well as they could. They do not give them time to express their own thoughts and ideas, to help build on their critical thinking and problem-solving skills even further.
• Staff support children's good health well. Children have many opportunities to be physically active throughout the day. Staff provide parents with support and guidance on healthy options for children's lunch boxes. Children display good manners. They thoroughly enjoy eating their food and listen as their friends talk about the activities they have enjoyed during the morning.
• Staff teach children how to manage their own safety. For example, children learn how to use climbing equipment safely. However, the manager recognises the need to build on children's awareness of potential risks even further. For instance, to teach them how to stay safe when using digital media at home.
• The manager and staff develop strong relationships with parents. Parents comment that staff provide an inclusive environment and treat each child as a unique individual. They acknowledge the good progress their children have made since starting at the nursery. Parents speak highly of the effective two-way communication. This helps to provide continuity in children's care and learning.
• The manager is highly reflective and has a strong vision for the setting. She continually evaluates the environment and resources available to children. Staff benefit from professional development opportunities to improve their knowledge and practice. They say that they are part of a supportive team and feel that their expertise is valued.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• give children time to express their own thoughts and ideas, to enhance their critical thinking and problem-solving skills even further
• strengthen the support provided to children to enhance their awareness of the potential risks of using digital media at home.