Little Lingfields Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have very good relationships with their key person and they settle quickly on arrival. Older children demonstrate high levels of confidence and independence. They are eager to play and make their own decisions about what they want to do. For example, children spend a long time exploring ice, water and paint. They use hammers to break the ice and excitedly watch what happens as they mix a variety of paints together. Staff encourage children to predict what might happen next. This helps to develop children's critical thinking skills.

Children are excited to engage in the learning opportunities staff carefully plan for them. For instance, babies enjoy a range of sensory play. They are intrigued as they watch rice fall through a funnel and they happily taste new foods, such as lemons and stuffing. Children develop their social skills and happily play together. Toddlers and older children work with each other to build an obstacle course using wooden blocks and plastic crates. They share and take turns with resources and help each other to complete the course. Older babies use their imagination effectively to bring their ideas to life. They mix water and teabags and pour staff 'tea' from metal teapots. Staff have high expectations of children. They support children to manage their feelings and teach them right from wrong. As a result, children behave well.

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

• Overall, staff support children's communication skills very effectively. For example, they talk to children throughout the day and use lots of repetition to help them learn and remember new words. Staff provide visual clues, such as pictures to help children learn about the nursery routine. They present clear information about activities and encourage children to recall past events. Most children use their language confidently and successfully to share their thoughts and ideas. However, staff do not always support the quieter or less confident children to speak or join in. This means that they miss opportunities to extend some children's speaking skills.
• Parents praise the staff team. They feel they have been very well supported during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents feel that their children are extremely well cared for and that they receive lots of valuable information about their children's learning. However, staff do not use vital information gathered from parents about what their children already know and can do when they first start at the setting.
• The manager's intent for the curriculum is clear. Staff observe, plan and implement an ambitious, sequenced curriculum that is designed to give all children the knowledge and understanding they need for their future learning. For example, pre-school children use pipettes to move water between containers. Staff explain that this is to develop children's fine muscle skills to help support pre-writing skills.
• Children have ample opportunities for physical development. Older children relish their outdoor play. They skilfully manoeuvre wheelbarrows, negotiate traffic cones and balance on wooden planks. Indoors, babies have opportunities to climb and crawl on small wooden ramps. Toddlers climb in the outdoor sandpit and use spades to fill buckets. This helps to strengthen children's balance, movement and coordination.
• Staff are excellent role models for children. They continually show children how to be respectful and kind. When children occasionally need reminding about their behaviour, staff do so in an age-appropriate and sensitive manner.
• Staff have excellent relationships with other professionals. They ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive appropriate support when they need it, to help them reach their potential. The knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) and staff work very hard to implement support plans, which meet the individual needs of children.
• The nursery provides nutritious meals and snacks for children each day. Staff encourage children to sample a variety of foods. They give consistent messages to children about what foods are healthy and how exercise is good for their body.
• The leadership team has a clear vision for the nursery. The team works closely with the staff team to look at the strengths and weaknesses of the setting. The manager carries out regular observations of her staff and provides them with ongoing support and training. Staff feel well supported by the leadership team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to identify the more quieter children to make sure that they have the same learning experiences as the more confident children
• use detailed, initial information gathered from parents more effectively, when children start attending, in order to plan for what children need to learn first.