Little Treasures

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children benefit from caring and positive relationships with staff. Staff know children well and help them to get ready for their day. Children have settled well, and this helps them to feel safe and secure at nursery. Staff are very attentive to babies. They explore shakers and mirrors to help children discover their reflections and the noises they hear. This promotes children's curiosity, developing a real sense of belonging.

Staff implement a broad and balanced curriculum that takes into account children's interests and individual needs. Staff prioritise communication and language, singing songs with musical instruments. Children listen and repeat new words, modelled by staff. This helps children to become happy and confident communicators.

Children have a strong understanding of rules and boundaries. They demonstrate appropriate behaviours at nursery. Staff create an environment where children learn to respect resources and one another. For example, staff praise children for their contribution to help tidy up and the positive impact this has. Children play alongside one another well and demonstrate good manners.

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

• Staff ensure that children benefit from outdoor learning. Children develop good physical skills. They like to race one another on bikes and cars and learn how to park their vehicles. Staff provide children with opportunities to run, climb and bounce. Children show great enthusiasm when they explore the outdoor equipment and learn new jumping skills. For example, they eagerly learn to star jump and stretch out as much as they can. This helps children to learn new skills and develop their coordination.
• Children are eager to join in activities, such as role play in the home area. Staff interact warmly but do not always extend children's ideas or deepen their learning when play is child-led. This reduces opportunities for children to build on what they already know and can do
• There are routines across the nursery that offer children structure in their day. However, during some transitions, children lose focus and become disengaged in their learning. Staff do not consistently manage these times effectively. For example, during group times, children can wait for long periods, which causes disruption to their routine and can be unsettling for them.
• Children become independent from a young age. During meal and snack times, children demonstrate how to put their bibs on and feed themselves. Staff support children to pour their own drinks and learn how to complete tasks on their own. From this, children learn to grow their independence by putting on their own coats and shoes.
• Partnerships with parents are a key strength. They comment positively on the regular communications they receive daily. Staff swiftly intervene to put effective plans in place to support children's individual development. They ensure that parents feel involved in their children's learning and keep them well informed of the progress they make. From this, parents speak highly of the staff and the service that is provided to them.
• Staff feel valued in their roles. They benefit from positive interactions with supportive leaders. They have access to ongoing training and courses to support their professional development. Staff have regular supervision sessions to evaluate their practice and support better outcomes for children. From this, staff report that leaders prioritise their mental health and well-being.
• Leaders are reflective. They regularly observe practice to support areas of improvement. Leaders work in partnership with other professionals, building effective links. They are committed to supporting all children to make good progress and offer a home-from-home environment.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen teaching methods so that staff's interactions consistently extend children's learning, particularly during child-led play
• refine ways to effectively manage transitions during the day so staff reduce children's waiting times to consistently support their focus and learning.