Little Leaders Daycare Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a warm welcome when they arrive. They understand what they need to do because routines are clear. Children confidently find the card with their name and picture on. They choose a peg for their belongings. Children join in well with small-group activities. They explore adding different amounts of flour, hot chocolate powder and water to make 'dinosaur play dough'. Children show high levels of concentration as they carefully pour water from a jug into the mixture. They are asked questions by staff to support their learning and extend their thinking. For example, children consider how much hot chocolate powder is needed to make the play dough turn brown.

Children's behaviour is good. They are encouraged to use good manners and say 'please' and 'thank you'. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. Children share well with each other. They pass magnifying glasses to their friends when observing tiny caterpillars on leaves. Children enjoy celebrating their achievements from home and at the setting on the 'Proud Cloud'. Children feel safe and secure. They approach staff if they feel unsure. For example, children ask staff for help when they want to use the climbing frame.

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

• Staff get to know children and their families very well. This means that staff have a secure understanding of the opportunities children have at home. For example, they know some children do not have access to a garden. Children benefit from physical play in the large outdoor space. They plant sunflower seeds in the garden and also take some home. Children notice the differences as the sunflowers grow and ask their parents to add photographs to their online learning journal. They are proud of their achievements.
• Staff follow children's interests. For example, children excitedly tell visitors to the setting that one of the strawberries on a strawberry plant has turned red. Other children rush over and comment that the strawberry has been 'nibbled by a caterpillar'. Staff provide bug-hunt checklists and magnifying glasses so children can hunt for other minibeasts outside. Children delight in finding snails and spiders in the herb garden.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Funding is used effectively to provide resources to help children make progress in their learning. For example, children access books in a tepee. They talk to friends and other members of staff about what they are learning. This extends children's vocabulary. Children play games with staff that promote their speaking and listening skills.
• There are many opportunities throughout the day for children to develop their counting skills. Children carefully count how many scoops they need when filling bottles up with sand. When eating their snack, children count how many pieces of apple they have and check that their friends have the same amount.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the setting. They say that they would not hesitate to recommend the setting to other parents. Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, parents are not currently allowed into the setting. The proactive staff hold settling-in sessions outside so that families can still meet them and see the learning environment before children start attending.
• Many high-quality interactions take place throughout the day between staff and children. Staff spend time playing with the children. For example, children enjoy spending time in the role-play doctors surgery. They learn new words, such as 'cast' and 'bandage'. Staff ask children about their own experiences. They give children time to consider their responses before moving on. However, sometimes, staff do not let children play independently for long enough before interrupting them. This means opportunities are limited for children to practise what they are learning.
• The manager demonstrates a strong commitment to the continued improvement of the setting. Since registration, staff have accessed a wide range of training. For example, they have learned different ways to support children with SEND. Staff provide opportunities for children to access a quiet and calm area of the setting when they need time for this.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve opportunities for children to explore activities independently to ensure they practise the skills they are learning.