Little Raccoons Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and confident and make good progress in this welcoming nursery. Staff build secure attachments, which enables children to explore their surroundings with assurance and enthusiasm. They support children to express their needs and wishes clearly. Children's voices are consistently heard and acknowledged by staff. They vote for a 'book of the week' they would like to read and can choose freely from a wide range of activities. Staff provide a rich environment where children are motivated to learn. Children enjoy exploring blocks of ice with flowers frozen inside and make marks with paint using different tools. The outside area helps children to build on their physical development as they navigate over obstacle courses and learn about planting.

Staff embed 'golden rules' throughout the nursery. Children learn to use 'kind hands' and 'walking feet' and are consistently supported to use good manners. Staff routinely support children to take turns and work closely with families to implement shared behaviour strategies to promote and reinforce positive behaviour. Children learn about diversity. Staff build on themes in books and promote discussion, helping children to recognise and value their own and others' uniqueness. They use mirrors to look at similarities and differences on their faces, helping children to develop a strong sense of identity.

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

• The curriculum is designed with a strong focus on developing children to be independent and confident learners who are well prepared for school. Staff plan activities around children's emerging interests and developmental needs. For example, fine motor development is well supported through engaging activities such as peeling onions and garlic in the home corner and using scissors and tools during mark-making and craft activities.
• Staff interactions are of high quality. They actively engage in children's play and support language development. They introduce words such as 'sticky' as children make their own dough. Staff promote critical thinking and problem solving by encouraging children to predict how much water to add and reflect on the outcomes. Occasionally, staff do not always provide clear explanations when teaching new information to help deepen children's understanding.
• Staff demonstrate a strong commitment to supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), ensuring their individual needs are met through tailored and inclusive practice. Collaborative work with external professionals, including occupational therapists, ensures that specialist input is embedded into daily routines. Children with SEND are fully included in all aspects of the provision, with staff carefully considering and adapting activities to suit their needs and preferences, ensuring every child can thrive.
• The nursery makes good use of the local community to enhance children's learning. Pre-school children visit the library monthly, while younger children explore their local environment through trips to the corner shop to buy ingredients. Extra-curricular activities, such as music and singing sessions, further enrich children's learning experiences.
• Independence is actively promoted, with children supported to manage personal hygiene routines such as nose-wiping and handwashing. Resources such as tissues are made accessible, enabling children to take responsibility for their self-care. Independence is further promoted at lunchtime as children collect their own food and scrape their plates when finished, supporting children to establish essential skills required for the next stage of their education.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery. They feel well informed about their child's learning and development through regular feedback from staff, and parents' evenings offer regular opportunities to discuss next steps for their children. Events such as Mother's Day and Christmas further invite parents into the life of the nursery and provide opportunities to be part of their children's learning.
• Leaders demonstrate ambition and commitment to supporting the staff team. Effective monitoring systems are in place to ensure that staff are well supported, with regular supervision and observations to monitor practice. Staff have access to a wide variety of bespoke training, which ensures their knowledge remains current and has a direct impact on practice. Leaders place a strong emphasis on staff well-being and are proactive in offering support. Initiatives such as employee of the month help staff to feel valued and appreciated.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff in providing clear explanations to help children build on their understanding of new knowledge even further.