Little Sprouts Day Care Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All children are settled, confident and very happy during their time at the inviting nursery. All staff have a good understanding of how to support all children to learn through an interesting curriculum. Younger children learn to make marks and develop early writing skills in interesting ways. This is demonstrated when they use foam and paintbrushes on wall mirrors to explore patterns. Staff teach children to be confident to communicate and recall their favourite stories. For example, children excitedly act out a story about a bear hunt when in the garden.

Staff are positive role models. Children are polite and behave well. They are empathetic and understanding of their friends' differing abilities. For example, when their friends become overwhelmed, children allow them time and respect their space with good levels of maturity. They then ask them if they are feeling 'okay' and invite them back to play. Staff teach children of all ages a wide range of physical skills. This is demonstrated when they confidently and safely negotiate challenging equipment, such as using climbing walls and tyre swings. Children learn to move their bodies in different ways. For instance, they enjoy regular yoga sessions.

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

• Managers and staff successfully establish positive relationships with all children. They fully understand children's abilities and meet their needs well. Staff have high expectations of children. As a result, all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), have a positive attitude towards their learning and make good progress.
• Staff support children with SEND very well. They attend training and are knowledgeable about how to support individual children. Staff liaise closely with outside agencies and professionals, and they implement helpful and consistent strategies. This includes using visual prompts and introducing new resources to help children engage in activities and follow routines.
• Overall, children remain engaged in their learning. Staff supervise children well and always meet ratio. However, at times, they do not recognise promptly when some children would benefit from further support and encouragement to join in with activities. Therefore, some children at times are not swiftly engaged in their learning experiences.
• All staff support children to develop confident communication skills. Children use signing alongside spoken words and pictures. For example, children are confident to communicate how they feel using pictures of different emotions. Older children are confident to communicate their ideas and thoughts. Younger children enjoy singing and begin to join in with repeated phases with confidence.
• Overall, staff ensure that the nursery is safe, clean and hygienic. For example, they encourage children to wash their hands before mealtimes. Children learn about the importance of healthy eating. This includes making healthy foods, such as vegetable soup. However, at times, staff do not consistently ensure all children completely understand the importance of following thorough health and hygiene routines.
• Parents are happy and speak very highly of the setting. For example, they comment that staff are positive influences for all children. Staff regularly share information with parents about what children are learning and what their next steps are. They help provide a good consistent approach between home and the nursery. For example, they visit children in their home environment and share helpful resources.
• All staff closely monitor the quality of care and experiences they provide children. They evaluate together as a team and reflect on what went well and what they will continue to enhance.
• Staff carry out regular training. This includes learning about how to fully support children to self-regulate their emotions. As a result, staff have implemented strategies such as calming breathing techniques. This has helped children to manage their emotions safely and appropriately.
• All staff teach children about other people's cultures from around the world, including talking about their religious beliefs. For example, children learn about Ramadan and what a traditional prayer mat looks like.
• The managers and staff use additional funding to support the individual needs of children effectively. They purchase a wide range of sensory resources to support all children to explore and investigate their senses.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on staff's confidence to be able to identify promptly when children require additional support and encouragement to join in with their learning experiences
• support staff to provide children with consistent opportunities to fully understand the importance of following good health and hygiene routines.