Little Treasures

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children become confident and independent learners at this nursery. They develop strong relationships with staff, who get to know their routines and interests well. Staff show comfort and reassurance to children when they need it. As a result, children enjoy spending time at the nursery.

The curriculum progressively builds on what children learn throughout the nursery. Leaders understand the importance of developing children's communication and language skills. All children have access to a variety of books and staff sing rhymes through the day to young children. Children freely choose to sit with staff and select familiar stories to read. Staff help children to follow the sequence of stories and describe what characters are doing. Consequently, children develop a love of books from an early age.

Staff help children to understand what is expected of them and skilfully support children to learn how to negotiate and solve problems. Children make friends and play cooperatively as they help one another to locate their favourite toys. Staff remind children of the rules they need to follow to stay safe. Children show respect for one another and adults and learn to share the toys they play with.

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

• The leadership team is strong at this nursery. They have good knowledge of the staff and children who attend. They spend time in playrooms and identify areas of practice which could be enhanced to improve experiences for children. They meet with staff regularly and ensure they are well trained so that they can carry out their roles effectively.
• Leaders and staff have high expectations for all children. They implement a curriculum which helps children to build on their existing knowledge and learn new skills. Children are exposed to a wide range of learning opportunities, which they are keen to engage with. Children develop their concentration, as they persevere with challenging tasks and are motivated to learn. As a result, children make good progress.
• Staff know children well and notice when they need comfort and reassurance. They implement routines which help children to feel safe and secure. However, during some parts of the daily routine, staff are focused on completing some care aspects quickly. For example, younger children are lifted out of chairs after eating, and held as staff remove dirty clothing. As a result, there is sometimes a lack of sensitivity applied when supporting children with their personal care.
• Staff interact with children during their play. They describe what is happening and ask children questions to encourage their communication development. However, on occasion, some staff do not use the correct words when naming items for children. This means that children do not always have opportunities to develop their language and vocabulary well.
• Older children show high levels of confidence, and independently access a variety of learning opportunities. They make choices in their play and show interest in learning about mathematical concepts and early writing skills. Staff help children to develop a sense of pride in their achievements. Consequently, children are driven to continue their learning.
• Staff plan a range of different activities for children. They expose children to new concepts and traditions from other cultures. For example, children learn what traditional Welsh dancing entails and have the chance to reenact this themselves. There are times, however, when staff do not always have a clear learning intention for the activities they plan. Therefore, individual learning targets for children are not always met.
• Parents and carers comment positively about the care their children receive. They feel they have a good overview of what their children's day has been like and are well informed about the progress children are making. They receive ideas about how to help their children to make further progress at home and comment that staff are friendly and supportive.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consistently implement suitable personal care practices, which are sensitive and responsive to children's needs
• support children's communication development even further so that they develop language and vocabulary well
• support staff to plan and implement clear learning intentions so that children make the best possible progress.