Little Miracles Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at this warm and welcoming nursery. Leaders are passionate about inclusion. They celebrate the diversity of their community with integrity. Leaders develop strong settling-in procedures and a robust key-worker system. This helps children to develop nurturing relationships with the staff who care for them. For example, children seek out staff for reassurance while they settle into nursery life and are comforted by caring interactions with them. Children who are settled know the nursery well and demonstrate that they feel happy, safe and secure.

Leaders develop a sequenced curriculum. Children are supported well by adults to build on what they know and can do. They develop a range of skills that will help them to move to school with confidence. Any developmental delays are picked up quickly and leaders refer to relevant professionals for targeted support. Children with special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND) are supported very well and make good progress at the nursery.

Staff have high expectations of the children. They are consistently kind and role model good behaviour, such as turn taking with the children. Children are calm, and content at nursery. They behave well and are considerate to their peers.

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

• Staff support children's communication and language development well. Support for children who speak English as an additional language is strong and a priority at the nursery. Staff implement effective strategies. They commentate on what children are doing, repeat words back, sing many songs and introduce children to new words during their play. For example, during magnetic play, staff introduce the words 'connect', 'attract' and 'pull'. Children repeat these words back and use them confidently in their play independently.
• Leaders monitor staff practice. They undertake regular staff supervision meetings and identify target areas for professional development. Training is cascaded at staff meetings to develop the staff team's knowledge and understanding of child development. This helps to raise the quality of teaching at the nursery.
• Children are developing a good mathematical foundation. Staff thread number and size into their interactions with the children and into the daily routines. For example, staff support the children to count and then describe the characteristics of the dinosaurs. They identify the tallest dinosaur with a 'long neck' and the shortest dinosaur with a 'small tail'. Children are supported to make early calculations during their hopscotch play. When older children stop to tidy-up, they confidently count down from 15.
• Staff encourage children to develop a love of reading. Books are readily available and easily accessible to the children. Staff bring stories to life through actions and movement. Children delight as they confidently join in the actions of the familiar 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' story. Children choose books to look through from low-level shelving.
• Children are supported to be independent. They confidently find their coats, wipe their noses and wash and dry their hands. Children show perseverance and keep trying. They demonstrate a sense of pride when they achieve what they set out to do. Staff praise children for their achievements.
• Leaders place inclusion at the heart of their practice. Developmental delays are identified quickly. Leaders refer to professionals to ensure children receive the support they need at the right time. Staff support children with SEND well. They implement plans from professionals with integrity.
• Overall, the nursery day runs smoothly. However, at times, routines are not consistently well organised. For example, the two-year-old's carpet time is interrupted in order for them to get ready for lunch. At lunchtime, children do not consistently benefit from meaningful interactions with the adults. This means that the children's learning and engagement is not consistently maximised throughout the day.
• Leaders ensure that children move to school smoothly and with confidence. Teachers from receiving schools are invited into nursery to meet the children. Relevant information is shared with teachers. Links are made with the other settings children attend. This work ensures children receive continuity of care.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the organisation of daily routines to maximise engagement and ensure that children benefit fully from the intended learning.