Little Miracles Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, secure and eager to play and learn. They happily leave their parents and carers at the door, wave goodbye and smile. Some children like to be taken to their playrooms by their parents, therefore children's preferences and routines are well established.

Babies enjoy treasure-basket play, they explore, move and reach out for toys. Babies solve problems, learn to hold a paintbrush and make strokes with water. Toddlers take part in an activity which helps them to understand the Coronation celebrations. For example, they match red, white and blue oats and pour the oats in the correct-coloured small bricks. Pre-school-aged children sing and dance together. This helps them to develop skills such as balance, coordination, control or rhythm and helps reduce stress. Staff have high expectations of children, who are well behaved and respectful towards each other and staff.

Children enjoy outdoor play; they explore nature, have adventures and plant in the growing area. Children test their physical limits and climb, run and move freely. They express themselves and build self-esteem and confidence as they share, take turns and build friendships. Children learn to communicate in different ways, through speech and non-verbal gestures. Staff support children well and use visual cards to remind and help children understand routines. Staff also regularly use those to help children engage, learn and participate throughout the day.

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

• Leaders and staff provide a stimulating learning environment to help support children to make good progress. Children are well prepared for their move on to school and motivated to learn. The indoor and outdoor areas are well planned to reflect the areas of learning. Staff follow children's interests and carry out regular observations and assessments to help plan for their next steps in learning.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively. Staff work well with parents and other agencies to put steps in place to help every child develop further according to their learning abilities. Additional funding is used effectively to offer children individual care and to purchase new resources for all children.
• Staff have good knowledge of how to support children while they play. However, during some interactions with children, staff are not always clear about how to implement the intent for the curriculum, so that the impact is achieved.
• Staff support children to develop their independence and their skills for later life. Children manage their self-care needs, they wash their hands before eating and after going to the toilet. Children serve themselves during mealtimes and clear their plate after eating. Staff attend to the care needs of babies and ensure that sleep routines are supervised and managed well.
• Leaders have evaluated practice and they have a good vision for the future. They work well with other professionals to continuously raise the standard of care and education at the setting. A good progress and improvements have been made since the last inspection, which helps children to achieve.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Parents speak highly of staff and are happy with the standard of care and education children receive. Parents regularly use the parent online platform to share and receive important information. Regular meetings with parents ensure that they are updated about their children's progress. Staff encourage parents to support their children's learning at home and provide a lending book library to support reading at home.
• Staff take children into the local community, such as the library, park and shops. Children experience cultures, respect differences and broaden their experiences. Children learn how technology is used in shops to make purchases and pay for items.
• Children and parents are invited to take part in celebrations for the King's Coronation. Staff plan a party and provide coronation-themed food and decorations. This helps children to understand the history of the country.
• Leaders support staff to develop their professional practice through regular training. Staff take part in regular supervision meetings and discuss their key children and any concerns they may have. Staff morale is high and staff work well together.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's understanding of the curriculum so that they can support children's learning further by consistently demonstrating and explaining ideas more clearly.