Little Learners Nursery & Preschool (Ambleside)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the nursery keen to begin their day. They happily leave their parents and carers at the door. Staff have established nurturing relationships with children and they ensure their happiness and safety. Staff provide an ambitious and stimulating curriculum designed to support children's interests and build on what they know and can do. All of this supports children to make good progress from their starting points and ensures that they are well prepared for their move on to school. Children are well behaved and staff let them them know that they are there to help and support them to manage their feelings and emotions.

Children are supported to develop their social skills as they join in together to make play dough. They develop their hand muscles, creativity and self-expression and learn about cause and effect. Children move freely outdoors as they play and learn in the well-resourced garden. They learn about limits, boundaries and challenge in their play. Children run, jump and ride wheeled toys. They develop their fine motor skills, explore natural materials and role play in the mud kitchen. They engage in messy play as they cook with mud, water and kitchen equipment.

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

• Leaders support staff well to develop their professional development. They provide regular staff supervision sessions and offer daily coaching. This helps staff to support children to learn. However, at times, staff who are undertaking training while working at the setting do not interact fully to help support children's language and communication skills.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents comment that their children are happy to attend and have developed their confidence, self-care and social skills. Parents use the online parent platform to view updates from staff about their children's progress. Staff upload photos of children at play and learning and information about children's routines. Staff encourage parents to support their children's learning at home, for example by taking home books to read to their children.
• Effective arrangements are in place for identifying children's specific abilities. Staff work well with other agencies to ensure children's individual needs are met. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well and additional funding is sought to ensure inclusion for all children.
• Leaders have reviewed risk assessments to ensure children's safety. They have made improvements to ensure children cannot leave the premises unsupervised.
• Children enjoy taking care of the nursery pets, which include the nursery rabbits and Billy the tortoise. This supports children to learn feelings of responsibility, empathy and compassion for living things.
• Babies enjoy lots of messy play exploring foam with their hands. They make prints and develop their creativity and physical development. They extend their arms reaching for the foam and use small paintbrushes skilfully. Babies are excited as they jump in the ball pit and move through the balls. They eagerly throw the balls out in excitement. Babies strengthen their muscles, socialise with each other, relax and have fun.
• Staff read books and sing with children. This helps children to develop their language skills, improve their focus and memory and learn to concentrate.
• Children are supported to become independent. For example, they help to tidy away resources. They learn that everything has a place where it belongs. Children help to take responsibility for their environment. They clear away their plates after eating. They follow good hygiene routines as they wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet. These are all skills they need for school.
• Staff offer children healthy meals to help meet their health needs. They ensure children's dietary needs are met. Children learn what healthy food is and how important it is for their future development. For example, they enjoy eating cucumber and tomato pasta for lunch.
• Staff encourage babies to take part in music activities to support their language and communication. Babies handle musical instruments, shaking them and smiling as they make noise.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen strategies to support staff who are training in childcare to engage better to support children's learning and development with a focus on communication and language.