Little Heroes Nurseries Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and are eager to start their day at this friendly nursery. They are greeted by their key person and separate from their parents with ease. Children develop warm relationships with staff, who know them well. Babies' individual needs are carefully considered when they first start. Staff fully understand what children can already do, enabling them to plan for their next steps easily. This helps children to feel safe and secure.

Children become confident communicators. They develop their vocabulary through naturally occurring events and interactions with staff. For instance, children learn about the different-coloured flowers, such as lavender, on walks. They talk about 'squishy mud' as they stomp through the woodland area. Children are sociable and behave well. They listen and create meaningful conversations with staff as they explore the natural surroundings. This promotes children's self-esteem and well-being.

Children experience a range of activities that support their physical development. Babies pull themselves up on equipment to build strength in their legs. Older children develop their hand muscles as they pinch pipettes to suck up water in a tray. This helps them to gain the skills they need for early writing. All children demonstrate a positive attitude to learning, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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

• The manager has worked hard with staff to create an ambitious curriculum. However, this is not yet fully embedded throughout the whole nursery. Staff understand individual children's development well. However, the overall intention of the curriculum within the nursery is not always fully understood. Occasionally, staff do not always plan activities that are focused on what children need to learn next.
• Staff identify any children who will benefit from additional support. They are proactive and work very well with parents and other professionals. This ensures that children with SEND receive the early help they need. Staff inform parents about the progress their children make and share strategies to continue their learning at home. Parents are very grateful for the support they receive from the nursery.
• Staff provide children with many opportunities to develop their skills according to their age and stage of development. Children gain independence in preparation for later learning. For example, pre-school children put their coats on to go outside. Toddlers learn to fasten their own shoes, and babies begin to feed themselves at mealtimes. Children develop their independence in preparation for later learning.
• Staff are skilful at following children's chosen play. They use teaching opportunities as children explore, introducing shapes and counting with children. This helps children to learn mathematical concepts. However, some adult-led activities are not finely tuned to children's learning needs. For instance, during group times, children lose focus and do not fully benefit from the planned teaching activities. This means that, occasionally, some teaching opportunities are not fully effective.
• Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They praise children for their good behaviours. For instance, staff encourage young children to take turns making play dough. Furthermore, staff use stories to talk about different emotions, such as 'happy' and 'sad'. Older children demonstrate their understanding of this when they say that their friends make them happy.
• Staff sit alongside children in areas such as that used for role play. They actively join in with the children's play as they use resources pretending to be builders. Children mix different potions with powder paints, exploring the various colours. Children concentrate well and enjoy imaginative play.
• The manager supports the professional development of staff well. For instance, staff have recently completed training in how to understand children's behaviour. This helps staff use strategies to promote children's positive behaviour and actions.
• Parents are extremely complimentary about the care and education that staff provide to their children. They appreciate the extra activities the children are offered at the nursery, such as yoga and ballet, and the regular trips in the local community. Parents know the staff very well and comment on the uniqueness of the nursery, which provides a homely feel. Partnership with parents is strong.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• make the planning of adult-led activities, particularly group times, more precise so that children remain interested and engaged in learning
• support all staff to have a clear understanding of the curriculum intent so that their teaching is consistently focused on what they want children to learn.