Little Me Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly in this homely and warm setting. They enjoy playing in the engaging garden. Children use their physical skills to climb up steps and slide down the slide. They balance on stepping stones and crawl into tunnels and into a willow den with their friends. Children sit on rockers and use their core strength to propel themselves backwards and forwards, singing songs as they rock. They push large vehicles through the sand, using their imaginations as they play, such as making fire engine noises and shouting 'fire, fire!'

Children are given responsibility for small tasks. Staff encourage them to tidy up when they have finished playing. Children shout 'teamwork' as they work together to pick up and tidy away the toys. Younger children have close relationships with their key person, and climb onto their laps when feeling unsure or need comfort. Staff support babies to safely explore the water tray. As they splash in the water, they discover sea animals. When babies make noises and attempt to say words, staff encourage this. They model the words babies are trying to say for them to hear and copy. Babies smile when staff give them lots of praise and encouragement.

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

• Leaders are passionate about providing well-being support for their staff team, and they ensure that training opportunities are available. However, the manager has not yet implemented sharply focused coaching and training to support less-experienced staff, focusing on their teaching and engagement skills.
• Children show high levels of independence. Younger children take off and put on their own shoes and independently wash their hands before mealtimes. Children in pre-school pour their own drinks and serve their food, using real crockery and cutlery. They ensure that their chair is safely pushed in under the table and they stack up their plates when they have finished.
• Children behave well at nursery and staff have high expectations for their behaviour. Children are kind and courteous to their friends and remember to say 'please' and 'thank you'. They ask politely if they may leave the table after meals. Children are polite and kind to visitors to the nursery. However, staff do not support the transition between inside to outside play well enough. This sometimes results in children becoming disrupted.
• Children play imaginatively. They use toy bricks as phones, picking them up and saying 'hello'. Children explore the outdoor kitchen, selecting trays and filling them up with pine cones they have collected. Staff immerse themselves in children's play. They encourage the children to tell them what they have made for lunch and talk about their favourite food.
• Parents are happy with their children's progress and achievements. They comment that any additional support needed for their children is swiftly identified. Parents talk about how the nursery is preparing their children for school and the activities and experiences they provide. They feel supported and say that their children have very close relationships with their key person. Parents comment that their children have flourished during their time at nursery.
• Diversity is celebrated at the nursery. Children are encouraged to recognise the differences between themselves and their peers. At mealtimes, they recognise differences in the food they choose to eat, and talk about how some people are pescatarians. Staff ask children what this means, and they confidently reply that it means they do not eat meat, but they eat fish. Children are beginning to learn about the wider world beyond their own, and life in modern Britain.
• Children are encouraged to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. Staff are aware of healthy diets and promote oral hygiene through daily tooth brushing. The menus are varied and fresh. Children have the opportunity to work with staff to plan a menu of healthy meals. This gives them the chance to make good choices about their diet. The children grow vegetables and herbs that they pick and enjoy, helping them to understand where their food comes from.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• implement sharply focused training for less-experienced staff to help raise their knowledge and skills to the highest level
• support staff to plan more effectively for children's transitions around the nursery, to enable children to remain focused and engaged.