Mini Me's Nursery Barnsley

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are supervised closely by the well-deployed staff team. Babies approach staff for cuddles whenever they feel unsure or unsettled. The warm, caring attitude of staff helps all children to feel settled and secure in their surroundings. Older children develop their imagination and communication skills when they recall and re-enact the 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' story. Children work together to create an obstacle course and discuss which parts are the forest and river. The staff member allows children to lead their own play, asking pertinent questions to extend their learning. Staff support children to develop their physical and mathematical skills. For example, children learn the concepts of over, under, in and out as they negotiate the obstacles.

Two-year-olds are provided with opportunities to practise using a knife and fork during a planned activity at snack time. Staff provide them with pancakes and a range of toppings to try. Children are encouraged to use their cutlery to eat the pancake. They are also encouraged to talk about the different topics, supporting their communication skills. Children behave well. As they get older, staff support them to abide by simple rules. Children express how they should have 'kind hands and feet', listening ears and walking feet inside. They explain how they can run outside but only when it is not slippery, otherwise they must walk, so that they stay safe.

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

• Management have identified a range of purposeful skills they would like children to develop and build on as they move through the nursery. Staff continually monitor children's progress from their starting points to ensure every child is supported to make progress in their learning and development.
• Staff identify children with possible delays in their development. They work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure children's needs are met. Targeted support enables children with special educational needs and/or disabilities to make the progress of which they are capable of.
• Younger, non-mobile babies are closely supervised by staff to ensure they receive the care and attention they need. They benefit from opportunities to lay under activity centres, where they can kick and reach for the toys. This helps to develop their physical skills.
• Older babies develop their fine manipulative skills when exploring the play dough. Two-year-olds are encouraged to help make the play dough, which increases the range of skills they are encouraged to develop.
• Staff engage in children's chosen play experiences. They introduce simple words to babies and provide a narrative as older children play. Staff working with two-year-olds hold simple conversations with them as they work on helping children to put two or more words together. Effective questioning of pre-school children enables them to extend their communication skills.
• Staff introduce children to a core range of stories and rhymes. Staff understand the importance of repetition in supporting children's communication and language skills. Pre-school children benefit from planned, purposeful daily circle time activities, where core stories are read to them. However, core stories and rhymes are not as well planned for children under three. This is because staff usually read stories to the younger children only when they show an interest in the books. At other times, staff use singing to pass time while children are waiting for their lunch to be served. These opportunities are not as well planned as they are for the pre-school children, to fully support every child's growing listening and attention skills.
• Staff sit with children, supporting good social interactions during mealtimes. Younger babies are held securely while being bottle fed. Older babies are encouraged to develop good hand-to-eye coordination as they learn to feed themselves with a spoon. As children progress through the nursery, staff help children to develop more control and coordination as they learn to confidently handle a knife and fork while eating.
• Staff introduce simple counting into babies' everyday play experiences. For example, they count one, two, three when babies build with bricks. However, some activities for older children relating to counting and numbers are too fast paced or advanced, to effectively support children's growing understanding of number. For example, during fun games outside, staff encourage two-year-olds to find hidden pancakes and to then count how many they have found. However, children are then encouraged to try and identify the numeral, which is too advanced for them.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review how core stories and rhymes are delivered to children under three years, so that staff more effectively use them to build on children's listening and attention skills
• support all staff to understand how to develop children's understanding of number through the delivery of developmentally appropriate activities.