Little Harvards

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a calm environment and have clear expectations for children's behaviour. Older children work together to carry heavy planks of wood to make ramps for their toy cars. When the cars get stuck, children solve the problem together. Children show great pride as they admire their finished ramp and proudly exclaim, 'We did it!' Children are cooperative in their play and show high levels of concentration and engagement.

Children demonstrate that they feel happy and safe. They have formed close bonds with the staff, who are attentive to their needs. Babies beam as they see their key person enter the room. They enjoy lots of cuddles and reassurance from the nurturing staff. Older children confidently approach visitors and talk about their friends. Children have developed caring relationships with staff and each other.

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

• Leaders prioritise children's communication and language development. Staff play alongside children and introduce new words. Children have access to a range of stories. Babies cuddle up with staff as they enjoy these stories together. When older children talk about their pets at home, staff encourage them to look at non-fiction books about other animals. Children are making good progress in their early literacy skills and are becoming confident communicators.
• Leaders implement a successful curriculum for physical development. Babies are given the space and encouragement to begin to crawl and walk. Staff use exciting resources and loving interactions to encourage children to begin to pull to standing. Older children are extremely adventurous in their physical play. They confidently slide down poles and use tree swings. Children develop excellent physical skills.
• Staff skilfully weave mathematics into children's play. As children fill up containers in the water tray, staff encourage them to predict how many scoops of water will fill each one. As children play, staff introduce language such as 'long' and 'short'. Older children recognise and match numbers to 10 to the correct quantities. Children show a good knowledge of early mathematical concepts.
• Partnership working is a strength. Parents state that they feel fortunate to have found this 'amazing nursery'. They say that their children have made good progress with their communication skills and that they have made friends. Parents say they feel fully involved in their children's learning and value the photos and updates that they receive. Parents know what skills their children are working on.
• The experienced special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is passionate about supporting children with SEND. She has formed positive relationships with a range of agencies. She works hard to remove barriers to learning and ensures that no child is at a disadvantage.
• Leaders have a good oversight of the strengths and next steps for the setting. They have a good awareness of the skills and knowledge that children arrive with and what they need to develop. Staff consider children's needs and interests when planning activities. However, at times, staff do not adapt and respond in the moment as learning opportunities arise. For example, when children show an interest in cutting up their own food, staff do not provide the cutlery to enable them to do this. This does not support children to make the highest levels of progress in their development.
• The nursery staff promote healthy practices. Children eagerly fill up their water bottles as they arrive. All staff understand how to ensure children's allergies and dietary needs are met. Children demonstrate a good understanding of the importance of hygiene. For example, older children wash their hands without being reminded and seek out adults to refill the paper towels when they use the last one. Children are developing positive attitudes towards keeping healthy.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to embrace learning opportunities as they occur to help children to make even better progress.