Little Grubs Indoor

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy in the setting. They settle quickly on arrival, seeking out their friends or a member of staff if needed. Children make friends easily and enjoy playing together. Staff interact well with children and build good relationships with them. The environment provides a wealth of opportunities for children to explore, create and be curious. Staff are passionate about developing children's understanding of the natural world, such as teaching them about the important role of insects as they observe beetles, moths and butterflies. Children confidently make choices in their play and focus well on chosen activities. There is an air of calm about the nursery.

Children form good friendships and enjoy one another's company, often creating role-play activities together. They are encouraged to recall their previous learning and they share their own thoughts and opinions. Children confidently take part in conversations and talk about what they can see and hear. They enjoy a variety of different foods and meals. Children learn about being healthy and love to get outside and explore each day. They are developing good physical skills and enjoy many opportunities to balance and climb. Children take appropriate risks and learn how to keep themselves safe.

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

• The manager is keen to provide a rich curriculum. A range of engaging activities are planned each day, including music and yoga to further enhance children's all-round development. Children are keen to try out new activities and demonstrate a positive attitude to learning. However, staff are less effective at helping children to widen their knowledge of other communities and beliefs that are different to their own.
• Staff have high expectations for all children. This contributes towards children's good levels of confidence. Staff help children behave well. They give lots of encouragement and praise, supporting children in taking turns and sharing effectively. Children adopt a can-do attitude to their learning. For example, they are keen to explore and investigate. Many older children think and solve simple problems for themselves, such as collecting a variety of resources to build their 'road'.
• Staff are skilled at telling stories. They engage children and encourage them to join in with familiar phrases. Children demonstrate their love of books as they focus intently and look at books independently. Staff plan a range of opportunities to promote children's mark-making skills. However, opportunities are missed in the outdoor environment to further develop children's understanding of mathematical concepts, including shape, space and measures.
• Staff are good at making use of spontaneous opportunities to help children learn. For example, staff use children's interest in finding things, to look out for froglets and owl pellets on their walk. Staff engage children in play, supporting their learning effectively as they use conversation and different types of questions well. They regularly introduce new words to widen children's vocabulary and pose questions that challenge their thinking skills. Staff use simpler sentences and model new words well for younger children.
• Children develop good levels of independence and self-care skills. For instance, they know to tidy away when an activity ends. Older children are able to change their shoes and put on outdoor clothing. They know the boundaries that they must follow when playing outdoors. Children gain the skills they need to move on to the next stage of their learning or school.
• Parents are complimentary about the nursery. Partnerships are effective and parents are kept informed of their children's progress, including information on how to support children's learning at home. This helps to provide consistency of care and learning for children.
• The manager has clear plans in place to ensure the continuous improvement of the nursery. She also has an overview of each child's progress and development. Any gaps in learning are swiftly identified and addressed. The manager supervises staff regularly and offers them guidance to help further develop their quality of practice. Training opportunities are targeted effectively to strengthen staff knowledge and skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• broaden children's awareness and experience of communities and beliefs that are different to their own
• make better use of opportunities that arise outdoors for children to develop their understanding of shape, space and measures.