Little Treasures Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very happy and content. They are motivated and eager to learn and demonstrate a positive attitude to trying new things. Children form close bonds with staff. In particular, babies have developed firm attachments with their key person. Pre-school children are encouraged to develop a positive, can-do attitude as they persevere and try new things, such as recognising numbers and quantities as they make 'cupcakes'. Toddlers concentrate intently as they try to link pieces of train track together. Staff are careful not to over direct but ensure that they remain on hand to offer support as needed. Staff praise children continuously and warmly celebrate their efforts. This helps to strengthen children's confidence and sense of personal achievement.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have recently focused their teaching on supporting children's personal, social and emotional development. Children have been encouraged to develop their social interactions with others and to strengthen their skills in sharing, taking turns and listening to others. As a result, children behave well and play harmoniously with their friends. They are able to follow instructions and show an awareness of routine and what is expected of them.

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

• Leaders are highly ambitious and are dedicated to making the nursery the best that it can be. They have clear plans for improvement and staff share their drive and commitment. Leaders implement successful strategies to support staff to develop their practice. They offer a wealth of training and ensure that new staff are fully equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to carry out their roles and responsibilities. Observations of practice, where reflection is encouraged, help to continuously raise the quality of teaching.
• Staff are passionate practitioners, who have high expectations of what children can achieve. They clearly love working with children and know their individual needs in detail. Staff are methodical in their approach. They identify next steps in children's learning through weekly planning and devising activities that interest children. However, occasionally, the organisation of activities does not always support children's full engagement. This is because staff do not routinely replenish the resources needed to carry out some activities. Therefore, some children miss out on the learning opportunities provided.
• An effective key person system helps children to settle quickly into nursery life. Staff gather information about children's care routines and their likes and dislikes when a child begins their placement at nursery. However, staff do not gather detailed information about what children already know and what they can already do in order to plan purposefully from the outset. That said, children are making good progress. Staff are proactive in securing any additional support that children may need. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are developing skills needed for their future learning.
• Leaders pay particular attention to supporting children's physical and emotional well-being. For example, together with staff they have created a dedicated movement room. This space, which children are able to access freely, supports children to regulate their feelings and behaviours through activities, such as yoga. Furthermore, children enjoy 'wakey shakey' sessions before engaging in activities. This helps them to focus and prepare for learning. Children enjoy being physically active outdoors. They create their own obstacle courses and develop their skills, such as balance and coordination, as they operate wheeled toys. Additionally, children show a strong awareness of personal hygiene. They frequently wash their hands and after blowing their noses remember to 'catch it, kill it and bin it'.
• Parents comment positively on staff's friendliness and how they keep them updated about the child's development and learning. Staff regularly use different ways to communicate with parents. For example, they use a dedicated online application and hold daily discussions, which parents appreciate. Parents describe how much their children enjoy attending and the progress that they have made.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consider the organisation of some activities, so that all children can benefit from the learning opportunities that they provide
• strengthen further the existing arrangements to gather information from parents about their child's prior skills and abilities, in order to plan purposefully from the outset and build coherently on what children already know and can do.