Little Sparrows @ Thriving Life

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children love attending this nursery. They enthusiastically shout 'morning' to staff as they arrive, put their belongings away and self-register by finding their printed name on a label. Children settle quickly and form close relationships with staff. They are keen to explore the exceptionally well-planned environment. For example, children play imaginatively in a 'salon', as they use brushes to pretend to paint nails and put rollers in the staff's hair. Outdoors, children learn to assess risk as they jump with control and skill from a height off a slide onto a mat. They show a can-do attitude, understanding their own physical capabilities.

Children use their critical thinking skills and show great perseverance to complete tasks for themselves. For example, children spend time sticking straws and lollipop sticks together with tape to construct a sword. They work out that using wooden lollipop sticks will create a sturdier sword compared to using paper straws. Children learn about the world around them as they explore their local community and woodland. Families are invited to share their cultures and how they celebrate festivals, such as Chinese New Year, and practitioners seize opportunities to celebrate diversity. Consequently, children are taught about each other's uniqueness, developing a positive understanding of cultures beyond their own.

Children are highly independent in their personal care and dressing skills. They competently put on their shoes or dressing-up clothes and wipe their noses and dispose of used tissues hygienically. Children benefit from a excellent range of healthy and nutritious food, such as a varied selection of fruit and vegetables, as they serve themselves from the snack bar, and parents diligently follow the healthy eating guidelines when providing packed lunches.

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

• The manager has high expectations of the children and supports them to expand and build on their previous knowledge. The well-thought-out curriculum focuses children's ability to work things out for themselves. This problem-solving prepares them extremely well for their future success.
• Children are excellent communicators. Older children confidently hold lengthy conversations about their home life and interests. Children who speak English as an additional language make swift progress in learning English. Staff routinely use Makaton signs and visual prompts to communicate with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to support them in knowing what is happening next.
• Staff provide children with meticulously planned daily intervention groups. For example, children participate in a storytelling activity, as staff use descriptive language to narrate what is happening and ask open-ended questions to encourage conversation. Children become animated as they excitedly work as a team to retell their favourite stories.
• Staff are skilful and timely in their interventions and know when to step in and support children's learning and when to observe from a distance. Children's emerging needs are quickly identified, and swift and targeted support is implemented. The extremely knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator (SENDCo) works closely with parents and other professionals to seek the additional specialist support children may need. While these applications are in progress, staff implement activities and ideas they are aware of from training or previous interventions to enable children to get the best support. The provider acts with integrity with barriers they have faced and are rapidly working towards ensuring children have access to their full entitlement.
• Parents describe the quality of care and education from the manager and staff team as exceptional. They love the nurturing 'family feel' atmosphere and talk about how their children are thriving academically and socially. Parents feel fully involved in their children's learning and development, and they have regular discussions with the key person. The online systems used help them to see observations on their children, notes from the staff and how their children's learning can be supported at home.
• The manager places great emphasis on the well-being of staff and has positive working relationships with them. She works collaboratively with staff and is always available should staff have any concerns. This creates a positive working environment, where staff love coming into work and strive to help the children flourish.
• The manager routinely observes teaching and learning. She provides staff with focused professional development. New staff members receive consistently high-quality support from the well-qualified and experienced manager. This includes explanations of teaching, modelling and discussions about the impact on children. Consequently, staff skilfully weave outstanding teaching practices into their joyful interactions with children.