Littler Grange Children's Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish in this incredibly well-organised and purposeful nursery. Leaders have developed a clear and ambitious curriculum, securely rooted in the knowledge of how children learn. Staff are calm and nurturing and spend time getting to know the children and their families when they join. This helps to support their emotional well-being and develop secure attachments. Staff use this knowledge to skilfully engage children in learning opportunities that will ignite their interests and build on what they already know and can do.

Children relish their time in the splendid outdoor area and have plentiful opportunities to engage with the natural world. For example, they greatly enjoy exploring the woodland mud kitchen and chasing their friends around the trees. They sow seeds in the garden and talk about the variety of vegetables that will soon be growing. Staff take this opportunity to extend their learning about healthy lifestyles and growth. Younger children are supported to take appropriate risks on the balancing apparatus. They practise using their big muscles as they climb, crawl and kick balls around the secure play areas. Older children scramble up a hill to safety from the 'hot lava' at the bottom and reassure the inspector that she is safe as she is wearing 'magic lava boots'. Children become deeply engrossed in their play and are developing in confidence, independence and character.

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

• Staff deliver an inclusive curriculum that supports all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to make good progress. Funding allocated to these children is used in a way that helps to ensure it has the biggest impact on children's learning. Staff challenge stereotypes and children learn to recognise and celebrate each other's differences in an age-appropriate way. For example, Polish children share their baking traditions and recipes, and children who celebrate Diwali bring jewellery and costumes to proudly show their friends. This helps children to understand what makes them unique and promotes respect for different people. However, the curriculum is not always effectively implemented for the youngest children so that their learning is promoted to the highest level. Nevertheless, children are progressing well and developing positive attitudes to learning.
• Staff are positive role models and provide children with clear behavioural expectations. Children learn to take turns, share and be considerate of others. However, there is not always a consistent approach in promoting manners and the reinforcement of expectations. This means children do not always know why they must follow certain rules and sometimes struggle to manage their emotions.
• Children participate in engaging activities that successfully build on their experiences at home. For example, children share that they are going on holiday to France. Staff recognise this important learning opportunity and find ways to incorporate aspects of French culture and language into their teaching. The pre-school children now have daily French lessons and are discussing geographical similarities in France to where they live in England. Staff interact with children extremely well and children are eager to express what they can do.
• Staff promote a love of reading by introducing stories that link with children's interests. For example, children are mesmerised when they discover worms in the garden and are eager to find out more. Staff introduce the book 'Superworm' to extend their engagement and skilfully make reference to it during play. Children happily explain that worms are 'squishy' and 'do not have bones'. Staff encourage them to find out more about their characteristics and introduce new vocabulary such as 'habitats' and 'invertebrate'.
• The highly astute management team is extremely supportive and provides very effective leadership for staff. They reflect continuously, developing strategies for staff to observe and evaluate each other's practise in a proactive and encouraging way. Staff training and focused professional development opportunities are given high priority and this learning is regularly woven into enhancements in the setting. Staff say they feel valued and the long-serving team work very well together.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen behaviour management strategies to ensure consistency in the modelling of good manners and expected behaviours, so children learn to respect the rules and better manage their emotions
• continue to monitor less experienced staff's practice to ensure that they know how to implement the curriculum effectively and promote children's learning and development to the highest level.