Little Turtles Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and secure. Staff form close relationships with children and understand how this helps their development. Staff are confident about the curriculum's aims and adapt activities to match each child's interests and needs. Children are curious, engaged learners and make good progress in their learning and development. When children choose not to join an activity, staff respect their decision and help them find something else to do. Children know their opinions matter. Children are well prepared for the next stage of learning, and parents report that school transitions are positive.

Children are confident communicators. Toddlers sing along with parts they know when listening to songs. This helps them build their vocabulary. Outdoors, older children confidently explain that they are wiping the slide with a towel because the slide has got wet from the rain. This shows children's social confidence and independence.

Children learn about the local area on nearby walks. They explore nature and discover wildlife. Staff help children develop social skills and manners. They do this by encouraging them to greet other walkers they meet. Staff take children to visit the local museum, where they learn about Cornish mining. They also discover how to extract metal through panning.

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

• Staff guide children to build independence skills. Before playing outdoors, pre-school children put on their shoes independently. On arrival, older children put away their lunch bags, and throughout the day children freely access their water bottles. Children develop good hygiene habits, washing hands before mealtimes. Staff support children to brush their teeth after mealtimes, enhancing self-care skills.
• Children build skills and confidence in mathematics as staff help them count blocks. Pre-school children count to the number 10. They explore quantity and patterns by counting small items into rows, such as rows of five and seven blocks. When staff notice children need additional help, for example when toddlers struggle to recognise numbers up to five, staff introduce games to focus on this topic. Staff help children build their confidence in mathematics and transition well to the pre-school area.
• Creativity is a key part of the curriculum. Babies discover the world of percussion and develop their musical understanding by making music with percussion instruments. Pre-school children experiment with colouring using pens and paper. Staff use a range of methods to inspire children, such as displaying artwork from famous artists.
• Pre-school children take part in a daily activity to promote letter recognition. They eagerly join in with songs, like 'a, a, ants on my arm' to build their understanding of letter sounds. Staff read to children of all ages often. They use engaging voices, helping to develop a love of books and reading.
• Staff help children learn about Christian and local festivals, such as Christmas and Easter. They support children to be kind and respectful of others. However, they do not consistently support children to understand and celebrate their similarities and differences and to learn more about religions and cultures that differ from their own.
• Staff support children to be kind to others. When children find it hard to share, staff help them consider why taking turns is important. They discuss how their actions affect others. Children listen to staff requests and tidy away toys when they have finished an activity.
• Staff undertake regular and relevant training opportunities, which they value and enjoy as part of their team role. Recent training has had a positive impact on staff's practice, particularly in focusing on children under the age of two for staff working with this age group. However, the nursery does not contact and work closely with other settings that children attend to provide consistency in children's learning and development.
• Parents' feedback is positive, and they report that children are happy in the nursery. Parents are kept up to date with information about children's progress in their learning and development. Staff create strong links with parents and support them in childcare matters, such as toilet training. Parents recommend the nursery to others.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support children to understand and celebrate their similarities and differences and to learn more about religions and cultures that differ from their own
• work more closely with other settings that children attend to provide consistency in children's learning and development.