Little Miracles Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children play and learn in a safe, bright and airy space with direct access to a garden. Staff ensure that children can access high-quality learning opportunities, indoors and outside. This means that wherever children are playing, they find challenging and engaging activities that hold their attention. Leaders promote the availability of funded early years education and support local families to access nursery places. This contributes to a welcoming environment, where children's diversity is celebrated. Children learn about what makes them unique and what they have in common. Children learn the values of respect, tolerance and kindness. They demonstrate these values in their interactions with others.

Staff have high expectations and help children to make good progress in their learning. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language are expertly supported to settle into this inclusive setting. Children respond positively to the strategies, which staff use to manage their behaviour. They learn a sense of right and wrong. Children are happy at nursery and develop their social skills. Staff help children to achieve their learning goals and make good progress in their learning.

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

• Staff are acutely aware of the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children's learning and development, particularly in their speech and language. Staff gather information about children when they first start and make accurate assessments of what children know and can do. This helps staff to ensure that children get any additional support they require at the earliest possible opportunity.
• When children are aged between two and three years, staff undertake a comprehensive learning and development check. Staff use this and their ongoing observations to accurately plan for children's future learning. However, staff do not consistently help parents to understand what their children are learning and how they can be further supported at home.
• Overall, children behave well and respect the toys they play with. They listen to staff and respond well to gentle instruction. For example, staff support children when there is a dispute over a particular toy. Children learn to share resources and help their peers. This helps to build children's confidence and supports them to form friendships.
• Children find their name card and indicate their attendance when they arrive at nursery. This helps children to recognise their own name. Children learn to wash their hands before meals and tidy up the toys that they play with. Children develop a sense of responsibility and independence, which helps to prepare them well for their eventual move on to school.
• Staff share the daily routine with children. They tell children what is happening next and use visual timetables. For example, when it is time for a story or to wash their hands for lunch. However, during a short period after lunch, staff tidy up and children are unsure what they should be doing. At this time, children do not focus on activities or apply themselves to their learning.
• Children bring their own lunch to nursery. Staff have created an informative and colourful 'healthy eating' display with ideas for nutritious lunches. They sit with children at mealtimes, and support conversations and good manners. Children enjoy the sociable mealtimes and staff encourage children to eat well.
• Children learn about healthy teeth. Staff use stories and activities to help children understand why oral health is important. Children learn to brush their teeth and staff support them to do this at nursery. This helps children to learn to look after their dental hygiene from an early age.
• Leaders and staff have an excellent knowledge of the local area and its demographics. Parents recommend the nursery to others and staff are rightly proud of the important role which the setting plays in the community.
• Leaders work with the local authority to secure additional funding and make timely referrals to external agencies as required. Staff implement incisive interventions to help close any gaps in children's learning, while they wait for additional support.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• share ideas and information with parents, to help them provide further support for their children's learning at home
• consider how some routine times of the day can better support children to focus and continue their learning.