Little Lambs

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly and establish positive relationships with adults at this caring nursery. They greet their key persons with a big hug when they arrive and enter confidently. Children say that they like coming to nursery because they enjoy playing with their friends. They are happy and feel safe.

Children are curious and engage in thoughtful conversations about their experiences. For example, they talk about what they can see through the binoculars and describe how the trees are changing colour. They ask about the difference between a bee and a wasp and offer suggestions about when the baby birds might appear from the nest in their outdoor area. Children benefit from the range of activities on offer at the nursery, which capture their interests. They focus for long periods on self-chosen activities. Children are developing positive attitudes to learning.

Children have formed caring friendships. They are incredibly kind and supportive of each other. For example, older children help the younger ones to reach their coats and to put on the dressing-up clothes. They independently share their toys when other children join them. Children delight in sharing each other's achievements. For example, they enthusiastically cry, 'Wow, that's brilliant!,' when they notice things that other children have made. Staff support children to talk about their feelings. They use books and resources to help children understand the impact of their actions on others. Staff are skilled at promoting children's emotional well-being.

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

• Children have many opportunities to develop their physical skills. They go on regular walks in the local area and run around in the field next to the nursery. Staff teach children how to hold a pen when drawing pictures and to put on their own coats independently. Babies have a dedicated space in which they can safely learn the skills they need to be able to walk. Children's physical development is well supported.
• Children enjoy looking at books with their friends and excitedly recall what is happening in the story. They have regular opportunities to borrow books from the library bus when it visits the nursery. Staff encourage children to take books home to share with their families. Children are developing a love of reading.
• Staff use a range of techniques to teach children mathematical concepts. They sing number rhymes and encourage the children to count as they prepare to knock the dominoes over. Children use mathematical language in their play. They line up their water bottles in order of size and shout 'my bottle is the biggest!'. Children are developing the mathematical skills they will need in the next stage of their learning.
• Parents are extremely positive about the quality of care and education provided by the nursery. They are kept informed about their children's progress and know how to support their learning at home. Parents are confident that their children are happy at the nursery and say that they even ask to attend on days when it is closed. Parents value the close bonds that their children have formed with the staff. They say that the nursery feels like an extended family and that 'the care is like that of a parent'.
• Children learn how to take an active part in managing their own personal needs. They show high levels of independence as they say, 'I have finished with the paint. I am going to wash my hands now!'. Staff promote strong hygiene practices which children consistently follow. For example, children immediately place their tissue in the bin after blowing their noses. Children are becoming increasingly independent.
• Effective communication is in place between the nursery and other professionals who are supporting the children. However, this is not yet embedded consistently across all professionals. For example, staff do not always share information effectively when carrying out assessments of children. Communication systems are not yet established with the other settings that the children attend. This has an impact on the continuity of education and care for children.
• Overall, staff promote children's language and communication skills through the positive interactions they have with them. However, staff do not consistently build on the language that children use through modelling new vocabulary and posing questions that extend their thinking.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen communication with other professionals to promote continuity of education and care for children
• promote children's language and communication further by consistently modelling new vocabulary and posing questions that extend their thinking.