Little Rainbow Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff place a good focus on supporting all children's early communication and language skills, including those who speak English as an additional language. Babies enjoy songs. They copy actions and repeat words, such as 'pop'. Staff help babies to learn about body parts as they sing 'Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes'. Babies show their enjoyment of the rhymes as they say 'again' when staff stop singing with them. Staff introduce new words in context to babies, such as 'reindeer' and 'tinsel'. Two-year old children enjoy movement as they sway their arms from side to side. They demonstrate the action for open and shut as they sing the wheels on the bus song. Two-year-old children show how they understand tempo as they sing songs faster on request. Staff in the pre-school room listen to children's ideas, and with sensitive questioning, they encourage them to elaborate on their thoughts.

Children behave well. They have a positive attitude to their learning. Children are keen to take part in physical activity indoors and outdoors. For example, pre-school children enjoy playing with sand as they fill and empty containers. Babies climb small ramps unaided and walk down them with support. Two-year-old children ride wheeled toys. They climb steps and go down the slide independently. Staff consider children's small and large muscle development well.

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

• Children learn to manage their self-care needs when the time is right and with support from staff. For instance, two-year-old children wash their hands before and after food, after toileting and nappy changes. Staff ensure that they have all the necessary supplies close by to undertake good nappy changing procedures. They also use this time to sing and bond with the children.
• Staff read stories to children. They pause when reading to encourage children to fill in the missing words. Two-year-old children point to pictures and ask questions of staff, showing their enjoyment of the book. Staff support the sequence of learning. For example, they encourage two-year-old children to sit on their bottom for a short period and listen to the story. Staff help children to gain the skills they will need for their move to the pre-school room and on to school when the time comes.
• Children show what they have learned and remember. For instance, two-year-old children name different-coloured paper correctly. They match objects to the correct coloured paper, such as yellow ducks. Two-year-old children recognise the number of objects they have without counting them. Staff support two-year-old children to count objects and say the numbers in order. Some two-year-old children show their early mathematical progress as they independently count one to ten.
• Children benefit from regular fresh air and exercise. They run around and ride wheeled toys. However, the curriculum for outdoor play is not as broad as indoors. For instance, staff do not consistently plan to encourage children's imagination and understanding of the world outdoors.
• The leadership team carries out good recruitment procedures to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Staff receive induction training to help them understand their roles and responsibilities. The leadership team ensures that staff have opportunities to enhance their professional knowledge and many are undertaking a childcare qualification. However, observations of staff's practice are not as focused to help build and improve their practice over time to benefit children further.
• Overall, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well by caring and nurturing staff. For example, children with SEND who enter the nursery unable to walk and speak now have attained both skills. However, for some children with SEND, staff do not concentrate fully on the specific targets set by some professionals. This means that these children do not always receive targeted support where they need it the most.
• Pre-school children enjoy play with sand. Staff add water so that they can see how the material changes. Pre-school children show their imagination as they say the sand looks like a snowball. Staff extend this conversation by referring to the recent weather of wind and rain. Pre-school children show how they can contribute to a conversation and jump from topic to topic.
• Parents report that they are happy with the care their child receives. They know what their child is learning and what they have achieved from their starting points. For example, parents say how their children's understanding of colour, numbers, counting and behaviour has improved. Parents receive progress reports and regular updates at drop-off and collection time.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• place a sharper focus on the curriculum for understanding the world and expressive art and design outdoors to enhance children's learning further
• continue to support staff to maintain the quality of education at a consistently good level
• implement further the specific targets set by professionals for some children with SEND and provide targeted support to enhance individual progress even more.