Little Learners Nursery Crofton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive excited to greet their friends and play in this warm and welcoming environment that staff have created for them. Children develop strong emotional attachments to the kind and attentive staff. This helps children to feel safe and secure. For example, children receive lots of cuddles and reassurance when needed to help them to settle.

The nursery curriculum is highly effective in promoting children's love of learning. The enthusiastic and dedicated management team have a clear ambition for all children to succeed. Staff provide children with a wealth of challenging and motivating activities and experiences. For example, during story time, staff help children to think critically and consider what corn needs to grow and what it is used to make. Children thrive at this friendly and inclusive nursery.

Staff are good role models and have high expectations for children's behaviour. They share expectations and boundaries clearly so that children understand them and can follow them. Staff offer children consistent praise and encouragement. This supports their confidence and self-esteem well. Children behave well.

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

• The management team are reflective and evaluate the ongoing performance of the nursery. Staff attend regular supervision sessions to discuss and share key information. The manager ensures that staff access ongoing, meaningful training to keep their skills and knowledge up to date. Staff report that they feel well supported, valued and enjoy working at the nursery. However, systems to evaluate staff's teaching of the curriculum are not yet fully embedded to identify any areas for development.
• Staff strive to support children to be independent from an early age. Children go to the toilet and manage their own care needs. Staff support children to make their own choices in play and persevere in tasks. Older children help to set the tables for lunch with plates and cutlery and serve themselves. The independent skills developed make sure that children are ready for their eventual move to school.
• Children enjoy group times in smaller groups as part of their daily routine. They sing about the days of the week, months of the year and the welcome song. Staff also provide focused learning groups to target their key children's individual development needs. For example, children enjoy developing their listening skills as they match the different sounds they hear to their environment. However, during group times and planned activities, there is often too much background noise and interruptions in the environment. This means that children do not always fully engage in the intended learning.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported at the nursery. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with parents, staff and other professionals to support children with SEND. Staff have accessed targeted training to fully support children with particular needs. This supports children with SEND to make good progress alongside their peers.
• Children's communication and language development is placed at the heart of the nursery's curriculum. Staff get down to children's level, allow them time to speak and extend their vocabulary during play. Children are confident communicators and consistently engage in conversations with staff and each other. Staff have recently taken part in whole team training in the use of Makaton. This is used effectively to help children to communicate.
• Staff support children and their families to lead healthy lifestyles. Children have regular fresh air and exercise in the nursery's secure outdoor area. For example, children enjoy developing their large muscles as they climb, run and balance. Children are provided with home-made, healthy and nutritious meals each day. The manager is promoting an oral health programme which encourages children to learn to clean their teeth regularly.
• Overall, partnership with parents is good. Staff work closely with parents to ensure that their child's needs are met. Parents are very positive about their children's time at the nursery and the staff team. They comment on how much children love to come each day and how well staff support children's needs. However, not all parents are aware of their children's next steps to further support their learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• monitor the quality of teaching of the curriculum more effectively and improve children's achievements over time
• reduce the noise level within the environment, to enable children to better understand and engage within planned activities and group times
• share next steps with parents to further support children's learning at home.