Little Learners Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children happily enter the setting and receive a welcome hug from their friends. Staff plan an interesting outdoor environment for children to explore. Children use their leg muscles, pushing themselves along in bubble cars as they skilfully negotiate the outdoor play equipment. Staff motivate children to cooperate with their friends as they practise their balancing skills, rocking back and forth on a see-saw. Children work as a part of a team as they play a parachute game with staff. They use their arm muscles, moving the edges of the parachute up and down to roll colourful balls across the canvas. Staff are vigilant, noticing when children struggle to share resources. Children are supported to take turns and play alongside their friends.

Staff are excellent role models. They show respect for each other and the children in their care. In turn, children show kindness to their friends. For example, they notice when younger children show interest in a toy piano. Children show their friends how to use their fingers to push down the keys. Younger children copy, smiling with delight as they make music on the piano. Children are full of laughter as they play a game of 'Duck, Duck, Goose'. Staff remind children of the rules, and they work together to safely run around the circle and back to their seats, hoping not to get caught.

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

• Leaders and managers work hard to build positive relationships with parents in the local community. They invite parents and children to attend stay-and-play sessions, and they provide access to food parcels. Parents are positive and state their children have settled well at the setting. They say staff communicate well and they feel their children are safe.
• Staff provide activities to support children's understanding of good dental hygiene and making healthy food choices. For example, children eagerly take part in a group activity to consider whether a food is healthy or unhealthy. Children talk about the foods as staff ask simple questions to prompt children's thinking. Handwashing is an established part of the routine, and children readily wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating. In addition, staff provide children with healthy snacks, nutritious meals and fresh drinking water.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their small-muscle skills. They plan activities to help children practise the skills needed for early writing. For example, children enjoy making cards. They use felt-tip pens to draw lines and squiggles on their creations, while other children spread glue on their cards and shake on brightly coloured glitter. Children are supported to use different tools as they shape play dough. Staff introduce new language, such as roll, chop, squash and squeeze, as children manipulate the dough.
• Staff use children's assessments and current interests to plan a broad and balanced curriculum. They have a good understanding of what children need to learn next and implement this through adult-led activities. However, staff do not always consider how to implement the curriculum for those children who prefer to free play. This means some children are not consistently provided with purposeful learning experiences. As a result, this hinders their engagement levels and leads them to wander without purpose.
• Overall, staff support children to understand the routines and structure of the day. For example, children stop their play and listen when staff say it is tidy-up time. Children busy themselves helping staff put away resources. However, the organisation of some routines means that children spend lengthy periods of time waiting for the next activity to start. As a result, children become distracted and less engaged at these times.
• Staff encourage children's developing independence skills. They support children to play an active part in the daily routine. For example, during group time, children are shown a choice board. Children take turns to select which activity they would like to engage with. At lunchtime, children serve themselves rice and yogurt, while those with packed lunches are supported to open their own packets. This helps children learn to do as much for themselves as possible.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to implement the curriculum more precisely during free play, to help extend the learning of those children who do not access the adult-led activities
• enhance the organisation of transition times between activities to avoid lengthy waiting periods for children, and maximise their time spent in purposeful play.