Little Gregs Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly welcomed into the nursery by staff. They communicate confidently with their friends and adults. Children excitedly share where they have been during the weekend at circle time and staff respond positively. Children develop strong language skills through joining in with songs and stories. For example, they successfully match the rhyming words such as 'hen' and 'pen' from familiar stories. Children experience activities where they can connect with the natural world around them. For example, when outdoors they lie on the grass and are encouraged to listen to the sounds around them and talk about how they make them feel. Children learn about their emotions and name these. This enables them to learn empathy and express themselves.

Children independently explore a wide range of activities that build on their knowledge. They develop their mathematical skills when counting the spots on ladybirds. Children learn to take appropriate risks to develop their physical skills. For example, when staff create an obstacle course, children carefully balance over the crates. Children learn to be part of a diverse community as they learn about each other's cultural celebrations. They proudly celebrate their individual achievements with recognition from staff, which builds on their self-esteem and confidence.

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

• The manager is passionate about their role and committed to their vision of the nursery. They provide clear intentions for their curriculum and ensure that all areas of learning are included. The nursery staff have a strong focus on developing children's communication and language so that children are confidently equipped with these skills. They know what they want children to achieve to be ready for the next stage in their learning.
• All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language, make good progress in their learning. Staff work hard to ensure that no child gets left behind. They regularly review children's development to identify any gaps in their learning. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure children get the right support at the right time.
• Staff comment that they feel extremely well supported. Managers place emphasis on recognising staff's well-being and ensure they have support in place for them to succeed in their role. They provide opportunities for staff to complete regular training to build on their own knowledge and professional development.
• Children are confident learners. They independently make choices about the activities they want to do. However, there are occasions where staff intervene too quickly before allowing children the chance to solve problems for themselves. For example, when children struggle to fix their model, staff do not always encourage them to think about how to overcome the problem before they step in. This sometimes limits children's opportunities to develop their critical thinking skills further.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery. They say that they feel valued and included in their children's education. Parents are provided with activity ideas to support their children's learning at home. They are consulted about how funding is spent, which has an impact on their children's experiences at nursery.
• Children learn about rules and boundaries to keep themselves safe. They understand the reason why their attendance is recorded. For example, children say that if there is an emergency, the staff need to know who is in the nursery. Children show respect to each other and living things. When holding chicks, they remind each other to be gentle.
• Children generally behave well. Mealtimes are mostly a positive experience for children. However, there are some inconsistencies in staff's expectations of children when they have finished eating. This results in children sometimes becoming confused about what they should do next and, on occasions, causes them to become restless.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to recognise and build on opportunities for children to develop their critical thinking skills
• review the organisation of mealtimes to ensure consistent expectations of routines are embedded.