Little Strawberries

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are thriving at this nursery. They eagerly arrive and separate from parents and carers with ease, excited for the day ahead. Staff are kind, caring and attentive to children's needs. They ignite children's thirst for learning and their curiosity. Consequently, children form strong attachments to staff and feel safe and secure. There is an abundance of activities planned and delivered to meet the nursery curriculum, which focuses on children developing skills ready to eventually transition to school. Staff skilfully interact alongside children, engaging them in their learning. Pre-school children rotate around four rooms, each with a different focus on learning. For example, there is an activity room, where children can engage in water play and problem-solving, such as working out how to channel water through a twisted plastic tube. There is a role-play room, where children dress up and pretend to be their favourite character or work together in the home corner making pretend food and feeding their dolls.

Babies enjoy sensory and messy play. Staff encourage them to find balls wrapped in aluminium foil representing planets, which are hidden underneath shredded paper. They giggle with delight as staff put shredded paper on their heads and say, 'Where have you gone?' Younger children follow instructions well and enjoy moving their bodies to music and action songs. They enjoy looking for plastic sea creatures hidden in sand and can name them, such as 'octopus' and 'crab'.

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

• Leaders are passionate and dedicated to the role they play in shaping young children's lives. This enthusiasm and passion is shared by staff, who report high levels of morale and say they are well supported by management and work well together as a team.
• Opportunities for training and professional development for staff are available. These help staff's practice to be consistently good, and at times superb. That said, on occasion, during group activities, children can wait too long for the next step. While the children are very good at sitting and listening, they can become a little restless, and this impacts other children's learning.
• The nursery curriculum focuses on ensuring that children gain all the necessary skills to become confident and independent learners, ready for their next stage of learning. Staff plan activities based on children's interests and what they enjoy doing. This helps to support children to be deeply engaged in their chosen play. It would be beneficial for staff to focus more sharply when planning on what the intended learning outcome is for the individual children so that the activity fully meets all their needs.
• Leaders have recently made changes to the pre-school that have led to a positive impact on children's emotional well-being. The pre-school is a hive of activity, with children fully engaged and supported by staff who have a deep knowledge and understanding of how children learn and develop. This encourages children to be the best they can be. Consequently, children make good progress in their learning.
• Staff are positive role models, and, consequently, children behave well. They can share and take turns. Staff gently remind children about how they would feel if their friend does not share. This encourages children to be reflective about their behaviour and make positive changes.
• The nursery has a large outdoor area. Climbing apparatus and swings help children build and strengthen their growing large muscles. Babies have the freedom to explore as they crawl in and out of tunnels or are supported by staff to take their first steps. Pre-school children often eat their lunch outdoors in the shaded seating area.
• A strong focus on the curriculum for communication and language helps children acquire an impressive vocabulary. Staff support children who may speak English as an additional language by repeating singular words and showing them the item. This consistent approach, along with flash cards, helps to build children's confidence, and they quickly start to speak new words.
• Children learn about the world around them. Currently they are learning about the life cycle of a caterpillar. Children excitedly talk about how the caterpillars are in their chrysalis. They paint pictures of what the butterflies may look like. Staff read a story to children about a hungry caterpillar. They help children chop their own fruit and push these on to skewers to make their own fruit kebab, which represents a caterpillar.
• Parents are complimentary about the setting. They say that staff are friendly and that their children learn so much. Information is shared through an online app. Homework sheets are sent home for older children as they practise their writing skills for school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to focus more sharply on the learning intent when planning activities to meet all the individual needs of the children
• enhance children's experiences further by considering different ways to deliver the curriculum during group activities so that children are not waiting for prolonged periods of time.