Little Oaks Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show positive relationships with staff. For example, children in the toddler room are invited to sit on staff's knee to listen to stories. Staff encourage children to talk about their views and thoughts, valuing what they say. This helps children to feel safe and secure in the nursery. Children in all of the playrooms develop a sense of responsibility when they show kindness to help staff tidy away toys. Staff give children gentle reminders to use good manners, encouraging them to be polite. Children are supported to have a positive attitude to learning. One example of this is when children in the toddler room try to fix two pieces of a toy together, staff say 'Keep going!', and children persevere. Children are able to take and manage risks in a safe environment. When they attempt to climb up a slide, staff stand close-by to support their safety, if necessary.

Staff give children choices in their play. For example, children happily choose favourite songs to sing to support their language skills. Children in the baby room learn how to use the equipment they play with. For example, staff show children how to put a stethoscope around their necks and pretend to listen to their heart beat. Children enjoy joining in with activities staff plan for them. For example, staff offer children opportunities to play in water to help develop their understanding of clouds and rain. Children learn how to use different containers to make the water fall or drip.

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

• Staff attend meetings with the executive manager to reflect on their practice. They say that they feel very supported with their well-being. Staff have opportunities to extend their professional development. Recent training courses help staff to reflect on offering more open-ended activities to support children to develop their imagination.
• Staff help children to learn skills for their move on to school. This includes encouraging children to be independent. For example, children in the toddler room are asked to wipe their own noses and sanitise their hands afterwards. Toddlers and pre-school children scrape any leftover food off their plate and into the bin at lunchtime.
• Overall staff help children to develop their communication skills well. For example, staff ask children in the toddler room questions and give them time to respond. This helps to encourage their thinking skills. Children who speak English as an additional language hear staff use words in their home language to support their language development. However, staff in the baby room do not consistently use correct words when they speak to children. For example, they say 'germies' for 'germs'. This means that children's developing vocabulary is not always modelled by staff effectively.
• Staff have rules and boundaries in place, focusing on the positive aspects of behaviour. When children run on stones in the garden, staff remind them to use their 'walking feet'. Staff model how to share and take turns. For example, in the toddler room, staff wear a hat first and then pass it to a child to wear.
• Parents appreciate the photos they receive from staff to show activities their children enjoy. Staff keep parents informed about children's care routines, such as sleeps and nappy changes children have. However, staff do not offer parents ideas and suggestions about how they can continue to support their child's individual learning at home. This will provide a more united approach to supporting their development.
• The special educational needs coordination shows dedication to supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Targeted plans are put in place to meet children's individual needs. Additional funding is spent appropriately to give children one-to-one time with staff to develop their individual targets, such as to encourage them to eat or to extend their language skills.
• Staff implement a curriculum that supports children to progress well in their learning. This includes following children's interests and developing their knowledge through play. For example, staff engage children in discussions about holidays when they show staff pictures they draw of an aeroplane. This leads on to staff showing and explaining to children how to use paper to make a pretend aeroplane.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to use words correctly when they speak to children in the baby room to aid their developing vocabulary
• offer all parents ideas and suggestions about how they can continue to support their children's learning at home.