Little Pioneers Nursery and Pre-school Maidenhead

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide regular opportunities for outdoor play. Children confidently ask who would like a smoothie, then go to the mud kitchen to prepare it. They use their imagination and add leaves, sticks and water, then give it a shake and return with their 'strawberry and raspberry smoothie'.

Children develop their independence skills through the tasks completed during the daily routine. Staff encourage children to put on their coats and wellington boots for outdoor play, and hang them up when they come inside. Children wash their hands and learn how to feed themselves during mealtimes and help to tidy up the toys when they are finished playing. Older children self-serve their lunch, scrape their plates when they finish eating and line up for their dessert.

Staff organise the playroom to promote children's emotional well-being. For example, staff encourage children to learn how to regulate and understand their different emotions through reading stories and singing songs. Staff encourage children to use their 'kind hands' and to take turns with their friends. For instance, children run after the ball in the garden and bring it back for the next child to have a turn. Children demonstrate a positive attitude to learning.

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

• Leaders and managers have a good overview of the provision. Regular supervision meetings enable the management team to discuss any training needs. Leaders and managers complete regular check-ins, including 'Well-being Wednesday'. Staff have training opportunities throughout the year, including on safeguarding, aspects of the curriculum and the outdoor play environment. Leaders and managers complete regular audits on different aspects of practice to identify where further improvements can be made.
• Staff know their children very well and plan and provide a sequenced curriculum to help them learn as they progress through the nursery. When young babies start, staff focus on building important attachments. As children progress through the nursery, staff extend the focus on them, developing their large and small motor skills and building on their vocabulary, including how to express themselves and manage their emotional well-being. Overall, staff implement the planning of the curriculum well. However, on occasions, the organisation of mealtimes does not fully support children's needs.
• Staff ensure that children listen to stories throughout the day. They re-enact favourite stories in the garden, such as 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt', which children thoroughly enjoy. They love singing familiar nursery rhymes and practise the Christmas songs for a forthcoming carol concert. Staff use signing to support all children, including those with English as an additional language and younger babies, to support their communication skills. This enables children to make their needs known. For example, babies sign if they want more food at lunchtime. Although the environment is well planned, on occasions, staff do not consider factors such as the noise level, which can distract children from concentrating or listening to what staff are saying.
• Children learn to have a healthy lifestyle. They enjoy the nutritious food they eat and know why they wash their hands before mealtimes. Staff provide information for parents on dental hygiene to help them understand how to promote their child's oral health. Children have daily outdoor play and wear appropriate clothing, such as their wellington boots and all-in-ones. This enables them to fully participate in all the activities, including jumping in muddy puddles.
• The staff work in partnership with parents and professionals to support children's learning and care. Parents report that their children are happy going to the nursery and they receive good levels of feedback, including ideas on how they can support learning at home. Parents are invited to attend workshops on various aspects of their children's development, including toilet training and preparing for school. Staff work with other members of the community, including the NHS, and have received training on percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) feeding. This enables children's specific medical needs to be met during their time at nursery

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of mealtimes to ensure that staff can fully support children's care and learning needs
• enhance the planning of the learning environment to support children's communication and language development by limiting distractions, so they can concentrate and listen to what staff say to them.