Little Market Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff help children to feel a sense of belonging to the nursery, for instance they greet them in song each morning. They value each child as an individual and help them to feel secure at the nursery. For example, staff incorporate babies' home care routines into the nursery to help them to settle well. They manage children's behaviour effectively. Staff are calm, fair and consistent in their approach, and children behave well. Staff have high expectations of children.

All children make good progress and develop valuable skills in preparation for school. Generally, the curriculum is broad and balanced and links well to children's interests. Staff support children's physical development effectively. They ensure that children have opportunities to climb on frames and take children to the local park regularly, where they practise running and jumping and use different equipment to learn to balance. Children have good physical skills. Staff help to develop children's understanding of difference. They talk to children about a variety of special festivals, such as Diwali and Chinese New Year. They provide books and toys that reflect different ethnicities and cultures, and children gain a good understanding of difference. Staff support children's mathematical development effectively. They teach children to count as they make pretend cakes from play dough and sing counting songs with them. Staff teach children language such as 'big' and 'small' to support their understanding of size. Children have good mathematical skills.

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

• Staff support children's creative skills through a variety of stimulating activities. For instance, children enjoy using jagged scissors to cut paper and make patterns. They explore different brush strokes using brightly coloured paint on different surfaces and develop good creative skills.
• Children gain good communication, language and literacy skills. For example, staff teach children new words, such as 'flaky' as they use play dough. Staff read stories and sing songs, and children learn to recognise their names.
• Children learn to do things for themselves, including tidying away toys after play. Younger children learn to feed themselves supported by staff while older ones pour their own drinks. Staff teach children good manners, such as to say 'please' and 'thank you'. Children offer each other pretend tea and cakes as they play and share and take turns well.
• Staff have good links with parents. They keep them up to date with children's progress through a secure software app and by talking to parents each day. For example, they update babies' communication books with sleep times and food eaten for parents' information. Staff work well with parents in areas such as potty training to support children's development.
• Managers provide staff with good levels of support. They are kept up to date with any issues through regular conversations in their small team. They discuss work in one-to-one meetings with staff and provide individual support where needed. Managers are keen for staff to enhance their skills and knowledge and provide opportunities for training. For instance, staff attended a course on behaviour management that led to improvements in this area.
• Staff are vigilant about children's safety. They ensure that comprehensive procedures are followed each day, such as daily safety checks on the premises. Managers carry out thorough background checks on staff to help ensure that children are safe.
• Staff promote children's awareness of good oral hygiene effectively. For instance, children practise tooth brushing on tooth and gum models and through various creative activities. They have good awareness of oral hygiene.
• Managers have a clear understanding of the nursery's strengths and weaknesses and set goals for improvement. For example, they plan to continue to enhance the outdoor area to promote best outcomes for children.
• Children gain a good understanding of the world. For example, staff teach children the names of different types of fruit and vegetables. They plant flowers with children and teach them how things grow.
• Managers have not fully developed the curriculum to enhance children's problem-solving skills, such as exploring problem-solving opportunities in activities.
• The nursery provides appetising healthy meals and snacks. However, staff have not developed children's understanding of the value of eating well.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the curriculum to enhance children's problem-solving skills.
• develop children's understanding of the value of eating well.