Mini Treasures Nursery Wallington

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

On arrival, children are happy and eager to join this welcoming nursery. They separate from their parents and carers with ease as they are greeted by nurturing staff. Key persons collect information from parents when children first begin. This helps staff to build bonds with children and plan for their individual needs. Babies receive warm and affectionate care from staff as they happily snuggle in their laps to read stories. This supports children to settle quickly and feel safe and secure.

Staff plan a curriculum with engaging activities that capture children's interests. For example, children confidently squeeze pipettes as they experiment with vinegar and baking soda. Staff place a strong focus on children's independence. For instance, they encourage older children to find and put on their belongings and develop self-care skills. Staff give children clear directions and support them to understand positive and age-appropriate rules, such as to use kind hands, share and take turns.

Children challenge themselves as they balance on obstacle courses and crawl through tunnels in the well-equipped garden. Their imagination blooms as they cooperatively play together, pretending to sell ice cream and sail a pirate ship on the climbing frame. All children make progress in the nursery.

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

• The curriculum on offer supports children to build and recall their learning. Older children discuss a recent walk to the local park as they work as a group to recreate a large-scale map of their journey. They develop emerging writing skills as they draw and paint what they have seen in the environment. Toddlers remember familiar rhymes, such as 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star', as they read a book about space and aliens. This further supports children to sequence their learning.
• Leaders implement effective strategies, including adult-led small intervention groups, to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and children who speak English as an additional language. Children learn key words and use flash cards to help their social and communication skills to flourish. Staff sing and read stories to children throughout the day. However, this is not consistent, particularly in the baby room.
• All children develop a range of skills to use in later life. Pre-school children pretend to be dentists as they check each other's teeth and advise on treatment. This further promotes their imagination and understanding of good oral health. Toddlers show their independence skills at mealtimes and when completing hygiene practices, such as toileting. Babies show growing confidence. For example, they climb into the ball pit, supporting their core strength for future walking.
• Staff encourage quality interactions and excitement as they teach children about the weather. Children show delight as they imagine shaving foam is snow in their hands and clap above their heads to make snowflakes. This supports their high engagement and understanding of the world. Babies inquisitively touch sensory brushes and toddlers explore the sensory garden, boosting their exploration skills.
• Transitions through the nursery and to school are smooth and carefully planned. Staff work closely with local schools so that children can meet their new teachers in the nursery and school environment. Leaders attend transition meetings with the local authority to further understand what children require to be ready for Reception class. They refine their teaching strategies to build children's confidence and resilience so they are prepared for future learning.
• Staff comment positively on the support they receive from leaders and appreciate the process in place to discuss their well-being. Leaders provide regular supervision meetings for staff to identify continuous professional development. However, supervision sessions are not yet fully embedded to routinely explore how training enhances teaching to impact on children's learning further.
• Relationships with parents are effective. Parents provide positive views on how kind and caring staff are. The nursery uses a variety of communication methods to keep parents informed about their children's learning. Parents share photos and observations of their children via an online app and staff share activities to do at home to further extend children's learning. Parents are involved in nursery events and celebrations, which helps to embed a culture of inclusion.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop teaching skills, particularly in baby room, to help extend children's early communication and language skills even further
• build on the arrangements for staff supervision sessions and training opportunities, so they continuously reflect and build on their teaching skills.