Little Jems Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children form a strong emotional bond with their key person. Babies and children are confident to approach staff for reassurance and support as required. For example, babies demonstrate that they feel safe as they walk around the room with the added security of staff holding on to their hands. Older children enjoy a comforting cuddle from staff during routines, such as story time. Children are highly valued. Special events, such as birthdays, are readily celebrated by all staff and children at the nursery. Children are kind and considerate to others. For instance, when getting ready to engage in sensory play, children willingly hand their friends an apron to wear.

Leaders and staff have a clear vision for the nursery. They are 'committed to caring for, teaching and inspiring every child to build on their foundations from home'. Babies are intrigued by the world around them. They enjoy looking out of the window and take interest in the people and vehicles moving around in the nearby car park. Younger children demonstrate their good awareness of the sounds that different vehicles make during play. They use more complex tools, such as scissors, to create a 'snake' using cooked tagliatelle. Older children express a sheer love for making music and gain an understanding of different concepts, such as loud and quiet. They count with numbers in the correct order to 15.

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

• The well-qualified staff spend quality time engaging with children to find out about what they know and enjoy. During sensory play, staff quickly recognise that younger children have a desire to find out about what materials, such as flour, can be used for. They extend on this interest and involve children in experiences, such as making dough. Children use good physical skills to mix materials together. They listen to instructions and take turns without prompt.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Staff exchange information with parents about children's learning and progress. They are confident to share home learning ideas, such as to read a book to children each day, to promote their early reading skills. Parents speak very positively about the nursery. They say that 'the nursery is like a second home'.
• Leaders source meaningful training, such as that relating to the outdoors, to inspire staff to enhance the quality of the outdoor learning provision for children. Overall, there are established systems in place to monitor staff performance. However, since the onset of the pandemic, supervision sessions have become more infrequent and focus less intently on helping staff to extend their good practice.
• Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They teach children to become good citizens, to be kind and considerate and to be respectful. Children demonstrate their knowledge of the behaviour rules in place. For example, younger children willingly say 'please' and 'thank you' at snack time and older children gladly share resources with their friends during water play.
• The innovative staff use everyday learning experiences to teach children about healthy eating. For example, during role play, staff encourage children to create a wholesome meal. Older children refer to recipe books and pretend to make a 'chicken pasta salad' using the range of available resources. They follow the instructions carefully and demonstrate pride in their achievements.
• Overall, staff support children's communication and language skills well. During stories, such as 'Jack and the Beanstalk', staff encourage older children to predict how high the beanstalk will grow and children actively communicate their thoughts. However, occasionally, staff do not pronounce words precisely for babies to hear and say. Additionally, staff working with children who speak English as an additional language do not use a wide enough range of words in their home languages during play. This does not support all children to extend their early speech and language skills to the highest levels.
• Staff source early help for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They liaise with parents and other professionals to target the support that children need. Staff are responsive to the needs of children and their families, including where there are any changes to family circumstances. They make good use of the early years pupil premium funding, to promote children's emotional security and to ensure that their everyday needs are met. This is successfully narrowing any gaps in children's care and learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the established systems for staff supervision and provide all staff with more frequent and intently focused support, to help to extend on their good knowledge, skills and teaching practice
• support staff to model language precisely for babies to hear and say and use a broader range of words and phrases in children's home languages during play, to help all children to further advance their developing speech and language skills.