Little Peeps

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, safe and settled in this welcoming nursery. It is clear that children are at the heart of everything staff do. Children are confident and incredibly sociable. They eagerly share their experiences with adults and welcome them into their play. Children engage in a wide range of opportunities based on what staff know they need to learn next. Staff also thoughtfully consider children's interests and use them to help engage and motivate children in their learning. For example, children as young as two years of age delight in extending their interest in animals as they crunch toy animals through 'cereal hay' and 'pasta grass'. They excitedly repeat new words that describe the sound the animals make on the different textures. Children repeat words such as 'crunch' and 'squidge' as they explore.

Staff have high expectations of all children. Children behave very well. They are supported by kind and caring staff who employ a range of strategies, based on children's individual needs, to help them to understand their feelings and manage their own behaviour effectively. There are times when the more confident children reassure and encourage their friends to participate in new experiences. Relationships between all children are based on kindness and respect.

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

• The leadership of the nursery is a strength. Incisive evaluation has taken place since the last inspection. The provider has implemented a range of positive changes to enhance practice. She is honest in her evaluation of the nursery, acts with integrity and successfully nurtures a culture of reflective practice with staff. As a result of more robust staff supervision, staff feel well supported and praise the provider for helping them to extend their professional development further. That said, some less experienced staff would now benefit from opportunities to learn from their more experienced colleagues in order to provide even greater consistency in teaching.
• Staff have a good understanding of child development. For example, staff working with babies enthusiastically explain that young babies enjoy playing with black and white resources because they tend to see these colours first. Staff observe and monitor children's progress. They understand what children need to learn next and identify when some children may need extra support in order to make continued good progress.
• Overall, staff support children to enhance their communication skills well. This is particularly evident in the toddler room, where staff speak clearly and pronounce words accurately. However, staff do not always support the youngest children to develop their communication skills effectively. For example, children who are happy and content when engaging in play are not always encouraged to remove their dummies to help and enhance their communication skills.
• Children of all ages enjoy stories and looking at books. Babies turn the pages and point at familiar pictures, while older children eagerly anticipate what they think will happen next as they listen carefully. Children talk about their favourite stories and rhymes. They recall the sequences of stories and confidently use a range of story language in their play.
• Children enjoy opportunities to play outdoors in the shared outdoor space. Staff recognise the current limitations of the space and enhance opportunities for children to engage in larger-scale play at the local parks. Children regularly enjoy outings in the local environment. This also helps to support their developing awareness of the world around them.
• Parents speak highly of the staff and value the support they receive in helping them to contribute to their children's learning at home. Staff share information about children's progress and provide advice on a number of child development matters, including toilet training and sleep routines. Parents are well informed and celebrate the new skills that their children are acquiring.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide opportunities for staff to share their good practice so that they may learn from each other and raise the quality of teaching to a consistently high level
• support staff to consistently employ strategies that help to support the development of communication skills for younger children.