My Little Stars Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this caring and exciting environment. Staff show pride in the nursery. Attractive displays capture children's involvement in activities and reflect topics and experiences in nursery. Children's secure relationships with staff and their peers are apparent throughout. Affection is readily given and received, and children cannot wait to share with staff what they have been doing at home. Children show through their behaviour that they feel safe and secure in nursery. They spontaneously initiate songs with their friends and show confidence in the routine of the nursery day.

Children's attention and natural curiosity to learn is sparked as they arrive in nursery. Resources are attractively displayed, and children confidently follow their interests and make choices about their play.

Children's language and communication skills are supported well. They hear lots of repetition of words to help their emerging speech. Familiar stories encourage recall and children eagerly join in, such as by identifying animals and characters.

Children enjoy taking care of the nursery's pets and learn to be gentle while helping to feed them. Staff support children as they learn to identify their emotions. They encourage children to recognise their feelings and to be kind towards their friends. Children behave very well. Their confidence and self-esteem are nurtured through the praise and encouragement given to them by staff.

Children are energetic and thoroughly enjoy being physically active. They benefit from plenty of fresh air and exercise throughout the day. Children enjoy time outdoors using various large equipment. A nature trail encourages children to observe what is around them and watch how things grow and develop through the seasons. Children complete observational paintings of living things.

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

• Managers and staff are committed to continually developing the service they provide to ensure the best possible care for children. Managers are proud of their team. They recognise staff's individual skills and abilities and use these to benefit both the nursery and individual children.
• Staff know children very well and provide care and learning targeted precisely for their individual needs. Resources are plentiful and children can see pictures of themselves reflected around the nursery involved in activities, which encourages discussions about what they are doing and their feeling of inclusion.
• Parents are extremely happy with the service provided. They praise the staff and recognise the hard work staff put into providing learning experiences that support their children to develop essential skills for the future. Parents speak highly about the information staff provide for them about their children's day and the progress they are making. They recognise the important role staff have in their children's lives.
• Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is a particular strength within the nursery. Sharply focused plans and training undertaken by staff enable them to continually meet and support children's needs effectively. Staff work closely with other agencies to ensure that the needs of the children and their families are at the forefront of what they do.
• Children benefit from freshly prepared meals each day that take account of children's individual dietary needs and preferences. Food is plentiful and includes lots of fruit and fresh vegetables. Children and staff sit together to eat which encourages discussions about their day. However, younger children are only given a fork to eat with, which means that at times they use their hands to help them to eat their meals.
• Children's care needs are successfully met throughout the day. Nappy changing routines ensure children remain clean and comfortable throughout the day. Staff work in partnership with parents to support children through developmental milestones, such as toilet training. All children develop independence, and handwashing regularly takes place throughout the day. Children learn to recognise when they need to wipe their noses and how to do so, and staff provide support as needed.
• Children become confident, independent individuals. They celebrate the things that are special to them and their families, learn about cultural events throughout the year and recognise they are unique. Children see positive images of skin tones and abilities through a variety of books and resources. However, resources such as books that reflect families that are different to their own, are shared by staff only at specific times rather than being accessible to children when they might wish to sit quietly and have a look at them independently.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider the appropriateness of the cutlery provided for children whose handling skills have not yet developed well enough to use these tools successfully
• provide more opportunities for children to readily access resources that reflect information about families that are different to their own.