Little Houghton Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at nursery, where they form strong attachments. They freely cuddle staff and demonstrate affection to each other. For example, children notice when others are upset. They stop their play to give their friends a hug. Children readily make choices throughout their day. For example, pre-school children vote on which book they want staff to read. Children are given counters which they place on their choice. They then count with staff the number of votes for each book. This helps children's developing early mathematical skills.

All children are imaginative. Older children play cooperatively, and confidently share ideas. Babies give bottles of imaginary milk to dolls as they pretend to feed them, while pre-school children create their own games. They work together to tie a toy tape measure to a crate to create horse reins. They then take turns to sit in the chair as they use the reins and pretend ride the horse.

Children practise their physical skills. For example, babies develop their core muscles. They gain confidence as they are encouraged to stretch and reach for toys. Staff hold babies' hands, giving them support as they learn to walk. Toddlers and pre-school children enjoy outdoor play. They carefully ride their tricycles around cones. Children develop muscle strength and coordination skills as they safely negotiate the area around them.

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

• Staff support children's language and communication skills well. They talk to children during daily routines and play. Staff encourage children to think. For instance, children play with toy animals in the sand. Staff ask them to think about what sounds the animals make. Children practise making the sounds and laugh at each other's attempts. Babies listen to staff and repeat words they recognise, such as other babies' names. Staff gently correct words that children pronounce incorrectly. To this end, children are becoming confident communicators.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their small muscle skills. For example, babies enjoy squashing and squeezing dough. Toddlers make marks in salt. They watch as staff make shapes with their finger, and then eagerly copy. Pre-school children enjoy painting. They use different sized brushes as they paint colourful rainbows. This helps children develop the muscles they need for early writing.
• Staff support children's growing independence skills. Babies are encouraged to find their own chairs to sit in at snack time, toddlers are helped to wash their own hands, and pre-school children are praised for clearing away their dirty plates. To this end, children learn to do things for themselves.
• Staff understand how to implement the nursery's curriculum to help children continually learn and gain further knowledge. They identify children's interests, plus any additional targets that individual children may have. However, occasionally, staff do not interact as effectively as they could with some children. This means children could make even more progress.
• Staff support children to behave well. Children are encouraged to use their manners and follow nursery rules. Any minor disagreements are swiftly dealt with by staff. For example, when children squabble over a toy, staff explain how to share and be kind to their friends.
• Staff provide children with healthy meals and fresh drinking water. They apply sun cream regularly to children to keep them healthy in the sun. Staff work closely with parents to manage children's allergies. The staff have a process in place to ensure this information is safely communicated across the nursery. This includes the use of different coloured plates and name cards to secure the safe management for individual children.
• Overall, daily routines are organised well and support children to learn. However, on occasion, children's learning is interrupted. For example, toddler story time is interrupted by high noise levels. This is caused by staff getting the room ready for lunchtime. This disrupts children's learning and their ability to fully listen and engage in the activity.
• Parents state that they feel their children are developing good speech and physical skills at the nursery. They find communication with staff effective and feel informed about their children's progress. Parents state that staff are supportive and their children have good relationships with their key persons.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of story time with toddlers to ensure they remain focused, which will ensure their learning is not disrupted
• help staff to understand how to improve interactions with children, including those with additional needs, to ensure all children make good progress.