Little Waves Community Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders have a clear vision for the nursery. They continually self-evaluate and reflect on what is working well and what could be improved. As a result, the quality of care and education that children receive remains high. Staff work in partnership with parents very well and parents are complementary about the care and learning opportunities their children receive. Staff work closely with professionals across other agencies to meet the needs of the children that attend. Staff have regular and high-quality training opportunities to continually enhance their professional development.

The curriculum provided is geared well to children's individual needs and interests. Staff support all children's learning and development well and all children make good progress during their time at the nursery, including those children from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Children form strong bonds with their key person from the outset. They are happy when they arrive at the nursery eager to join in and engage in the activities available to them. Children get on well together, they play well with others and develop very good social skills. Staff promote children's independence very well from a young age through everyday activities. Children are well prepared for the next stage in learning and the eventual move on to school. They have good levels of self-confidence in what they are able to do for themselves.

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

• Staff know children well. They use information from parents, gathered when children first start, and their ongoing assessments. Staff use these to plan activities and learning experiences that help children progress in all areas of learning. Environments are well planned out, inviting and stimulating to children and children are motivated to learn.
• Staff extend children's communication and language skills very well. For example, they respond to all attempts to communicate made by children, they regularly model new vocabulary and encourage talk during their interactions with children.
• Staff provide children with good opportunities to celebrate what makes them unique and help children develop a strong sense of self. Children learn about themselves and others. However, staff do not always provide enough learning opportunities for children that promote diversity and reflect a range of cultural backgrounds to prepare them for life in modern Britain.
• Staff are good role models for children. They support children's personal, social and emotional development well. They use positive behaviour management strategies, such as specific praise and visual aids to help children follow nursery rules. This helps to create a respectful and calm atmosphere.
• The nursery environments indoors and outdoors are well maintained, and staff implement suitable risk assessment procedures. The nursery is safe and clean.
• Teaching is consistently good throughout the nursery and staff give children good opportunities to lead their own play and develop their own ideas. However, staff do not always dedicate sufficient time to enable themselves to fully extend children's emerging interests.
• Staff ensure they regularly exchange information with parents. This helps them stay up to date about children's interests and well informed about their changing needs. Staff support parents to enhance their children's learning at home. For example, children learn about autumn and nature through activities staff send home. Children enjoy poetry and collect natural resources with their parents to bring back to nursery to explore with their friends.
• Children benefit from a wide range of activities that spark their curiosity, allow them to be imaginative and explore using their senses. In addition, this improves their attention and listening skills. For example, staff set out a range of interesting and unusual objects and artefacts made of different materials and with differing appearances. They encourage children to freely explore them.
• Leaders promote the professional development of staff and themselves well. They have good opportunities to gain qualifications in specialist fields. They implement what they have learned to raise the quality of care and teaching in the nursery. This helps to improve the outcomes for children. For example, leaders use psychological therapy techniques in supervision to help staff reflect on their practice more deeply.
• Staff have built links with local pre-schools. They invite pre-school staff into the nursery to meet children prior to them starting and share information with them about children's learning and development. This supports children's transitions to pre-school well.
• Staff provide children with good opportunities to develop their gross-motor skills which enhances their physical development well.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• further support children's awareness of the world through learning experiences that focus on cultures, diversity and people beyond their immediate experience
• enhance staff teaching to extend opportunities for children to become even more deeply immersed in learning that has led from sparks in their interest.