Little Moments

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time in nursery. They greet staff and their friends warmly and enjoy telling each other things they have been doing outside of nursery. Children show through their behaviour that they feel safe and secure in nursery. They use their manners well and show kindness towards each other. Children are confident in the daily nursery routine.

Babies and toddlers enjoy close relationships with staff, and affection is readily given and received. They hear lots of simple language and repetition of sounds to support their developing language and communication skills. Happy facial expressions and praise from staff confirm that staff are pleased with their efforts and achievements. Babies and toddlers enjoy exploring their environment, and low-level furniture enables those who are not yet walking to pull themselves to standing and become involved in a range of activities. They eagerly explore different textures, including dough and water, and move between activities freely.

Older children develop good dexterity. They confidently use small tools and re-enact familiar experiences. Children spend time collecting different materials in the garden, such as leaves, sticks and stones, and they create meals in the play kitchen. They recognise the differences between the leaves they find and which is bigger and smaller, and they take time to identify which tree they fell from.

Children benefit from being active and join in with daily dance exercises. They enjoy climbing over palettes and bread baskets in different ways. They confidently move through tunnels and over balancing bars. Children create different sounds and tunes using the sound wall in the garden.

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

• Leadership within the nursery is strong. Managers and staff are committed to continually developing the service they provide. Professional development opportunities are sharply focused to enable staff to build their knowledge and skills across a broad range of topics, including working with babies, mathematics and playing with boys. Managers support staff and are proactive in assuring the well-being of their team.
• Staff provide a range of activities to support children's learning, taking account of children's interests. They observe children involved in activities and build a clear picture of their abilities and emerging skills. Staff communicate with parents and carers daily. Any gaps in learning are quickly identified and supported. Regular progress reports and ideas of ways parents can continue their child's learning at home are shared.
• Children rest and sleep according to their needs. Staff ensure that children settle quickly to sleep and spend time next to them, providing reassurance where needed. Safe sleeping routines are followed, and staff check children regularly. Older children have time to rest and build their energy levels back up and can access quieter areas, such as the book areas, to relax.
• Mealtimes are relaxed, and children enjoy chatting to staff and each other. Children enjoy a range of freshly prepared meals and desserts, and their individual dietary needs and preferences are considered. Older children develop independence through serving their own meals. Staff support the younger children and ensure babies eat well, offering meals appropriate for their age and stage of development.
• Staff encourage parents to share photographs of the children and their families for children to look at during the day. Parents and children have made hand prints, which children can place together with their own when they want to feel close to their parents during the day. Children learn about their emotions and feelings and can share these with 'Oscar the Owl', whose picture is displayed in each room. Children find it comforting to talk to him, and he works magic and 'turns their frown upside down'.
• Children learn about different cultural events throughout the year, and the introduction of 'Inspiration Day' enables children to share their own experiences. Children have been learning about different places around the world, such as Poland, Ireland and ancient Greece. Parents are encouraged to share information and personal belongings, such as a prayer mat and foods they eat at home, to broaden children's awareness. Resources reflect different cultural backgrounds and abilities. However, those which reflect families that are different to their own are not yet readily available to children.
• Photographs displayed around the rooms reflect children's involvement in activities, such as receiving 'star of the week' awards, and information about their culture. However, the photographs are displayed high on the walls and therefore not where children can actively see them to encourage discussions about past events and experiences.
• Parents and carers are very happy with the nursery and the care and learning opportunities that staff provide. They say that children really enjoy their time in nursery and enjoy talking about it at home. Parents feel that staff are kind and caring towards the children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider ways to enable children to have better access to displays within the nursery, to enable them to talk about what they can see and recall past events and experiences
• provide opportunities for children to access resources which reflect information about families that are different to their own.