Little Village Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish at this friendly setting. Practitioners know the children well and support them to feel safe and secure. They organise the setting well, and this enables children to play independently. Practitioners ensure there are interesting resources for children to learn with. For instance, older children independently make telescopes with their peers. They use them to look out at the landscape around them. The children then pick out familiar places in the environment to talk about. In the outside area, children playfully make up stories about minibeasts and share their ideas with others. Practitioners help children to socialise well. The leadership team has put an ambitious educational programme in place to promote children's learning. This includes working effectively in partnership with outside agencies and parents to help to ensure all children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive good support. This has a positive impact on the quality of education that all children receive.

Practitioners promote children's positive behaviour and support their individual needs. At times, children need extra help to manage their behaviour. Generally, practitioners explain to children how to play kindly. This helps them learn how to treat each other respectfully.

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

• Children enjoy stimulating and fun story times with skilful practitioners. They speak with expressive tones when they read picture books with flaps and textures to children. This supports young children's growing vocabulary and literacy skills.
• Children's physical skills are developing. Practitioners engage children in ring games in the outdoor area. They encourage children to feel the bark on trees and explore sounds by banging sticks on paths and trees. Older children serve their own meals at lunchtimes, and the youngest children attempt to feed themselves with support from helpful practitioners. These experiences benefit children's small- and large-muscle development well.
• Children take part in group times. Practitioners sit on the floor with children and sing songs with actions and rhymes to support their communication development. However, there are some distractions during group times, which on occasion, make it more difficult for the children to settle and engage in their learning.
• Leaders have put in place familiar routines throughout the day. Older children set tables and select cutlery in preparation for lunch. Children use this experience to practise and develop their counting skills in meaningful ways.
• Overall, children behave well. They learn about the importance of sharing and taking turns. Practitioners praise children for their achievements and efforts.
• However, some practitioners do not consistently deliver clear instructions to the youngest children. This means that some children do not always understand what is expected of them.
• Children's dietary needs and parents' preferences are adhered to. Children eat nutritious meals. There are good systems in place to ensure that children receive food that meets their individual needs. This benefits children's health and well-being.
• The leadership team values the practitioner team, which is relatively new. Each morning, leaders and practitioners meet to discuss the aims and intentions of the day. Practitioners have supervision sessions to support their practice and well-being. They receive a comprehensive induction to help them to understand their roles and responsibilities. These systems promote good learning outcomes for all children in the setting.
• Leaders and practitioners form good relationships with parents. They gather information about children before they start. They use this information to begin to plan experiences for children. The practitioners also promote a love of reading and encourage parents to use the lending library. This consistent approach supports children to make good progress from their starting points in learning.
• Parents comment that staff are approachable. They appreciate it when practitioners take the time to get to know their children. Parents value the daily updates they provide about their children's development and experiences.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help practitioners to be more aware of distractions in the environment to enable children to concentrate and focus more
• provide the youngest children with clear and consistent instructions that support their understanding of the routines and expectations.