Minibugs St Austell

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet children warmly with a friendly cheer on their arrival. Children excitedly share their experiences from home and settle quickly into nursery routines. Children have formed close bonds with staff and feel secure in their presence. Babies hold their arms out to their key persons, who respond affectionately. Toddlers point to visual aids to show they are 'happy'. Pre-school children show confidence in sharing their needs, and staff support them effectively.

The curriculum is designed and implemented well. Staff understand where children are developmentally and know how to progress their learning. Staff encourage children to develop their communication skills. For instance, staff provide children with props, and together they sing accompanying songs. Babies begin to use sign language for words such as 'please' and 'more' and begin to babble. Staff talk to children about what they are doing with the sand. They introduce new words such as 'sieve' and 'pour' to extend their vocabulary.

Children are highly independent. Older babies and toddlers retrieve their own comforters from their bags ready for nap time. Children of all ages feed themselves competently during lunch. They develop their hand-eye coordination and ability to carry out tasks for themselves. Children play harmoniously together. They behave well and understand the nursery's expectations.

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

• Staff encourage children to strengthen their finger and hand muscles in preparation for early writing. For example, babies explore dough by squeezing and making marks in it. Staff encourage them to use the toy dinosaurs to make prints in the dough. Toddlers use tools effectively in a mixture of cornflour and water. Older children begin to write letters of their name onto whiteboards, showing good pen control.
• Children develop their problem-solving skills well. They enjoy pouring water into the tiered water bowls. They know that once the top bowl is full, water will tip and cascade down into the middle bowl and then into the lower one. Children work out that they will need to place a bucket underneath the last bowl to catch all the water so that they can start the process again.
• Children benefit from the professional development programmes staff attend. For instance, children begin to understand their emotions through stories and visual aids. They use these to communicate how they feel. Staff provide praise and role model effectively to children, enabling them to feel calm and relaxed.
• Children enjoy participating in local events within the community. Leaders and staff implement these throughout the year. For example, children visit the nearby care home, where they engage in a variety of activities with the elderly residents. Children enjoy arts and crafts and parachute games with their new friends. Younger and older generations enjoy their interactions together.
• All families are welcome at this inclusive nursery. Staff gather essential information about families and celebrate diversity. Children enjoy learning about 'Martisor', a Romanian festival, and share bracelets to signify the start of Spring and a 'healthy year'. Children enjoy sharing dual-language books with their family and share photos of their own experiences from their home country.
• Staff morale is high, and they report how leaders support them effectively. Staff well-being is a strong priority. Leaders provide them with regular gifts and team building days to show their appreciation of their hard work and that they are valued members of the team.
• Staff ensure children are protected in the sun and record the ultra-violet levels for that day. They encourage children to drink plenty of water to keep them hydrated. However, the deployment of staff is not always effective. At times, too many staff focus on care practices, meaning some older children play alone or wander around without consistent interactions from staff.
• Staff provide challenge to those children who are most able in preparation for school. Children begin to hear and say letter sounds and link these to words, such as 's' for spider. Staff show them how letters are formed and work closely with local schools to ensure a consistent approach.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to better understand their roles, particularly those working with older children, to enable them to be deployed effectively so they can provide consistent interactions with children.