Little Treasures Day Nursery (Skegness)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy to attend this inviting nursery. They show that they feel safe and secure, for example, when they follow the routines. Children in the baby room take off their shoes and put them in the allocated space. Children learn how to behave positively. For example, when children in the pre-school room finish playing with toys, staff say, 'when you have finished with the toys' children reply 'you put them away'.

Children have opportunities to develop a love of books. Children in the toddler room listen to favourite stories and repeat familiar phrases, such as 'I'm the gingerbread man.' Children in the pre-school room are introduced to new words through story telling. This helps to extend their vocabulary. Children are supported to develop their mathematical skills. They solve problems when they complete puzzles; staff help them to recognise different shapes, such as a circle and hexagon. Children are keen to engage in conversations with staff to share their thoughts and ideas. They learn how to use sign language to support their understanding of the words they use. This is particularly beneficial for children who speak English as an additional language. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from additional funding to provide them with one-to-one support from staff. This helps to meet their individual needs.

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

• The management team and staff place a strong focus on supporting children's communication and language skills. They recognised that after the COVID-19 pandemic, some children had gaps in their speaking skills. To help reduce these gaps, staff provide targeted small-group activities that focus on this aspect of learning. They use simple words when they speak to children in the baby room. Staff talk to children and model using longer sentences.
• Children learn skills that will help them for the future, such as to be independent. Staff remind children in the toddler room to wipe their own noses and to dispose of the tissue in a bin. Pre-school children are asked to select their plates and cutlery at lunch time and to serve themselves food.
• The management team identify improvements to the nursery. Recent changes provide children with further opportunities to develop their imagination outdoors. For example, they have access to a role-play mud kitchen.
• Parents provide positive comments about staff. They say that they are friendly and appreciate the trips they take their children on. However, not all staff share information with parents about how they intend to help their child to progress. Furthermore, not all staff offer parents ideas to help them to continue their children's learning at home.
• Staff support children's emotional well-being effectively. For example, staff follow the same routines in each room, offering children familiarity. For example, in the baby and toddler rooms, staff shake a tambourine to give children a warning when the routine changes. In the pre-school room, children have the responsibility of shaking the tambourine themselves. They tell their friends that they have three more minutes left to play before it is tidy up time.
• Staff give children gentle reminders of the rules and boundaries. For example, when children in the toddler room start to run indoors, staff remind they to use their walking feet. When children comply, they receive a high five for their achievements, helping to raise their self-esteem and confidence.
• Children are keen to join activities staff plan, helping to develop their concentration. However, staff in the toddler room do not fully identify when they need to adapt their teaching to help children deepen their understanding in areas of learning where their knowledge is less secure. For example, during a planned activity, when children match colours incorrectly, staff do not help them to understand how to do this correctly.
• Staff know the children well and follow their interests. One example of this is when children hear an aeroplane. Staff talk to them about their knowledge of going on an aeroplane. This positive interaction between staff and children quickly extends to developing children's imaginative play. Children pretend to pack a suitcase and tell staff that they are going on the aeroplane to Spain.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen partnerships with parents and keep them informed about their child's development and how they can continue their child's learning at home
• help staff to recognise when to adjust their interactions to offer further guidance to correct children's misunderstandings and to support their leaning even further.