Little Ted's Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff have good relationships with children. Older children seek staff out to read books with them. Younger children sit with staff for comfort when waking up from their sleep. Staff encourage children to be independent. For example, young children find their own coats and shoes while older children carry their own plates for lunch to the table. Children have an awareness of routines and boundaries. This helps them to feel safe and secure in their environment.

Staff ensure that children experience a wide range of vocabulary. Staff sing songs with young children and use props to support stories. Pre-school children receive encouragement from staff to think about words to describe items. For example, when talking about snow, children share that it is 'soft like a fluffy carpet'. This supports children speech and language development.

Staff take children on a variety of trips in the community. They visit the local pond to look for tadpoles, walk around a local field watching the combine harvester and visit a local recreational field. Children have access to their own allotment which enables them to grow fruit and vegetables. Staff are helping children begin to understand about their local environment and the world around them during these trips.

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

• The manager has a good understanding of how children learn and develop. She has developed a curriculum that allows children to learn through sequenced opportunities. For example, children start with small tip-and-fit puzzles, and gain help with 20-piece interlocking puzzles before moving on to completing challenging puzzles alone. Children work towards their next steps in learning that are identified by staff through observation and assessment. This ensures that all children make good progress.
• Children have a range of opportunities to take part in mark-making activities. For example, staff have provided clipboards with paper and pens in the role-play area. Children write lists on the paper and share this information with each other. Children attempt to write their names on a whiteboard. Staff prepare children well for school.
• There is a range of early mathematical activities provided. Children count frogs on lily pads and talk about big and small worms. They use a toy tape measure to look at how long some items are in the room. Staff enable children to gain an early understanding of mathematical language.
• Children are becoming aware of their own personal hygiene needs. However, staff miss further opportunities to teach children even more about managing their hygiene, for example, after nappy changes and nose wiping. This does not support children to use every opportunity to embed good hygiene practices.
• Parents state that staff are friendly and professional. They feel that their children develop well and value the variety of activities and resources available. Parents state that communication from the nursery is good and information is always shared. They talk about the support provided to enable their children to settle into nursery life. Staff work well in partnership with parents. This ensures that children feel safe and secure in their environment.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has a good understanding about how to support a child who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities. She recognises the importance of working in partnership with parents and other professionals. The SENCo understands the importance of early help being in place for families. She is aware of how to make a referral should a family require further support from other agencies. This ensures children receive the correct support to allow them to continue with their development.
• All staff share that they feel well supported by the manager. They recognise the importance of supervision and appraisal meetings. The manager uses these meetings to highlight future training opportunities for staff and to check on their well-being. This allows staff to feel supported and to continue with their own professional development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more opportunities for children to be able to embed personal hygiene routines.