Little Squirrels Play Forest at Seagulls

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The manager and staff warmly greet children and their parents as they arrive. This, alongside flexible settling-in arrangements, helps children and their parents to form close bonds with their key person. Staff know the children well. They gather a broad range of information from parents about what their children like, know and can do. This helps staff to deliver a curriculum which covers all areas of learning. Children are encouraged to be curious and explore within the well-resourced learning environment, both inside and outside.

Babies' routines from home for eating and sleeping are closely followed. Nappy changing is carried out sensitively and children are offered reassuring cuddles. Staff get down to the children's level and play alongside them. They model how to use resources so that children can follow. Staff make good use of learning opportunities as they read stories to the children with animation. Children have opportunities to handle books and learn how to turn pages. Staff successfully capture toddlers' imagination as they pretend to go on a magic carpet. They introduce familiar action songs which toddlers are keen to join in with. The toddlers giggle as they 'hop like bunnies' and 'stomp like a dinosaur'.

All staff model expected behaviours and gently remind children of the rules, particularly when children struggle to share. Staff explain about turn-taking and support children to do this. They use appropriate strategies, such as images and picture routines, to help children to manage their own feelings and behaviours. Children are learning to be kind to each other.

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

• The nursery is well led. Staff are appropriately recruited and inducted. There is a focus on staff well-being. Staff have a secure knowledge of safeguarding practice and policy. They receive effective supervision, support and mentoring to continuously improve. Staff attend a broad range of training to enhance their skills. There are clear plans in place to develop practice further, including implementing an intervention programme to better support those children with speech and language delay.
• Staff encourage children's independence and build on children's existing skills. All children make independent choices about what to play with. Children learn how to put on their coats and persevere when they try and work out how to use the zip.
• Staff help children to develop healthy lifestyle habits. Children enjoy nutritious snacks. They have plenty of opportunity for physical exercise and fresh air. They learn how to care for themselves as staff support them to use the toilet, wash their hands, brush their teeth and wipe their nose before putting the tissue in the bin.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are appropriately supported. Staff use observation and assessment to track children's progress. Where further or external support is needed, the nursery's special educational needs and disabilities coordinator is swift to work in partnership with parents and other professionals.
• The manager and staff engage particularly well with parents. The nursery is wholly inclusive. Parents are kept well informed about their children's learning and well-being through discussions with their key person. Staff invite parents to experience what their child is learning at nursery so that they can further support this learning at home. Parents receive valuable parenting advice and support. This includes sharing regular information through an online app, a book-lending library, dental health packs and other nursery initiatives.
• Staff provide a language-rich environment. They provide commentary and pose simple questions, giving children time to respond. Staff repeat words children mispronounce and introduce new vocabulary, such as 'freezing' and 'squelchy'. On occasions, staff deliver small-group activities that capture children's interest. However, these activities are not currently well planned to ensure children, including those who are slower to speak, have rich and consistent opportunities to practise listening and speaking skills.
• Staff deploy themselves effectively and children are appropriately supervised. However, transitions over the lunchtime period, where the nursery offers a 'rolling lunch', are not as well organised. As a result, at these times, several of the children are not engaged in purposeful play. Additional children arrive at the nursery for the afternoon session while activities are being tidied away. Others are required to wait for some time until there is a space at the table before they can eat their packed lunch.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to deliver well-planned, rich and consistent learning experiences, particularly for children who are slower to speak, so that they have good opportunities to practise their listening and speaking skills
• review and enhance routines around lunchtimes, to ensure that children have opportunities to eat when they wish to, and others remain engaged in purposeful play at these times.