Little Impressions Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show that they are happy and safe at the nursery. They start their day with a warm welcome from staff, who engage them in conversation and learning throughout the day. Children are encouraged to become independent learners and develop confidence. They enjoy a range of activities, that staff plan to support their curiosity. Children develop their creativity while they mix 'potions', adding colourful feathers. They use pegs and pegboards to devise patterns. Children are proud of their achievements and eagerly share these with staff. They enjoy the praise they receive from attentive staff.

Babies and children have close attachments with their key person and look to them for reassurance. Babies explore their environment with confidence. They demonstrate that they feel safe because they walk around the room with the added security of staff holding their hands.

Children learn to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. They understand the importance of eating healthily and cleaning their teeth thoroughly. Children develop their physical skills through a range of stimulating experiences. They spend time in the outdoor area, where they develop their large-muscle skills. Children negotiate the obstacle courses with confidence and enthusiastically jump over low hurdles.

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

• Staff plan a broad curriculum, which builds on children's individual interests. They spend time engaging with children to find out about what they know and enjoy. Children make good progress in their learning and are confident to have a go at new activities, when encouraged by staff. However, on occasion, staff do not precisely plan activities that are linked closely to children's next steps in learning.
• The nursery is an inclusive setting, and staff ensure they include all children in the activities and experiences. Children show good levels of cooperation, when they share resources and learn to take turns during activities. Children understand boundaries, behave well and have good attitudes to learning. This is supported by staff who have developed a consistent approach to managing children's behaviour.
• All staff talk to children using clear language. They model the pronunciation of words carefully and encourage children to repeat and use words in their play. Children regularly enjoy sitting with a member of staff and sharing a favourite book. They learn to anticipate what will happen next and repeat phrases from familiar books. Staff make the stories relevant and memorable by, for instance, linking them to children's creative interests and role play. For example, children enjoy creating 'bears', using play dough, after listening to the story 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'.
• From an early age, babies and young children learn to use spoons and forks to feed themselves. They continue to develop these skills when they move through the nursery. For example, older children serve their own meals, pour their own drinks, and scrape their plates. They make choices about what they would like to eat and drink. This helps them to develop their skills and confidence ready for school.
• Staff work hard to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have their needs met. The special educational needs coordinator is knowledgeable in her role. Staff support families and work with other professionals to implement strategies, to help children to make the best progress they can.
• Parents spoken to, during the inspection, praise the nursery. They are keen to talk about the difference staff make to their children's confidence and language skills. Parents value the daily information that they receive from staff, which gives them reassurance that their children are happy and settled. Staff exchange information with parents about children's learning and progress, and to support continuous learning at home.
• The manager is reflective about her practice and the development of both herself and her staff. Staff are offered training opportunities to update their skills and knowledge. Strategies, such as supervision and individual meetings, are used to evaluate workloads and promote staff well-being. However, supervision sessions focus less intently on helping staff to further develop their teaching skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure planning links more precisely with children's next steps, so that they make the best possible progress
• enhance ways to help staff to reflect on their practice and further improve their teaching skills.