Munchkins Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy in this homely and welcoming nursery. They arrive feeling excited to begin their day. Parents do not routinely enter the nursery, due to the COVID-19 pandemic safety precautions. Children have adapted well to leaving their parents at the door, and enter happily and confidently. They feel safe and form strong bonds with staff. Staff identify that some children, including those born during the COVID-19 pandemic, may require more emotional support when they first start at the nursery. Therefore, staff ensure that they give children extra time when they first settle in and as they progress through the nursery. This helps to build children's resilience, so that they are ready for their next stage of learning.

Staff make learning fun for children. They have high expectations of children. Staff provide a child-led approach to planning, that reflects children's individual interests, likes and dislikes. Children are motivated to learn and are keen to engage in activities. Children behave well and understand what is expected of them. Staff use positive and consistent behaviour strategies, such as encouragement and praise. All children, including those who receive additional funding, make good progress. This is because staff understand the skills that children require to help them to progress to the next stage of their learning.

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

• The manager and staff team work very well together. They share a positive and reflective approach to their work, and they know children well. Staff plan activities effectively to help children build on what they already know and make progress towards their next steps in learning. Staff interact positively with children. They encourage children to keep trying when they find tasks challenging. For example, staff suggest to children to mix some water with the dry sand until the sand changes, until they see the sand 'darken' and 'thicken'.
• Children become confident communicators. Staff actively use opportunities to speak to children and increase their vocabulary. They ask questions and give children time to think and answer. Staff share stories and encourage children to talk about their feelings and their experiences at home. They support children to develop a positive view of themselves and their peers. This helps children to understand what makes them unique.
• Children learn to manage their feelings. Staff help them to understand the importance of working together and taking turns. For example, during a large-group activity, children know that they need to wait for their turn to pour water down the guttering pipe. Those children who need additional support are treated calmly by staff. All children enjoy the praise that they receive when they have their turn. However, on occasion, large-group activities are too long and complicated for some children, and they become distracted and lose interest.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery. Staff gather detailed information about what children can already do when they first start. This enables staff to plan for children's learning from the beginning. Parents feel well informed and supported to continue their children's learning at home. They say that they are pleased with the priority which staff give to their children's language development and how much their children enjoy attending.
• Children have many opportunities to be physically active and explore safely. Babies and young children crawl over low-level equipment. Children develop control of their hands and fingers. For instance, they use chalk, crayons and paint, manipulate dough and investigate objects, such as wooden and natural items. Children enjoy a range of sensory play, including floating rubber ducks in water and running toy construction vehicles through rice paint. Outdoors, children develop their larger muscles and good hand-eye coordination in a range of ways. They ride on tricycles and experience cooking on the firepit and building dens.
• The manager monitors staff's practice and sets targets for ongoing improvements. Overall, staff benefit from supervision sessions, staff meetings and ongoing training. They say that they feel supported, and explain that training is increasingly focused on the identified needs of individual staff. However, the recent monitoring and coaching approach is yet to be embedded and is not yet consistent across the nursery staff.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan large-group activities more carefully to ensure that they are meaningful for all children taking part
• embed the support for staff to improve the consistency of their practice.