N Family Midlands Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The curriculum is designed to provide children with opportunities to revisit previous learning and build on their knowledge. This helps children to gain a secure foundation in their early education. For example, babies become familiar with the animal characters in a book that staff purposefully read to them over several occasions. Babies know which animal appears next in the story and retrieve the corresponding toy animal from the basket. Staff create anticipation and intrigue as they share a book with pre-school children. Children excitedly join in with the story and know key phrases, such as 'Abracadabra'.

The manager ensures that children have access to a wide variety of learning experiences to broaden their knowledge and understanding. For example, children watch the recording of the night-time animal visitors to the garden and learn about their behaviours. They learn about people and facilities in the local community.

Children have formed close bonds with the staff. Staff promote children's safety and emotional security throughout the day and especially at sleep times. Children enjoy the comfort and cuddles from the staff. They are relaxed and content as they settle of to sleep and awake happily. Staff have clear arrangements for the various routines of the day. Children know what staff expect from them and behave well.

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

• Overall, self-evaluation is effective. The manager has a detailed list of actions she has identified to further improve. She consults with parents as part of this process. Recent improvements involved making changes to the daily routine to minimise disruption to children's play and learning.
• Staff receive regular training and purposeful supervisions from the manager. She oversees the monitoring of teaching and the impact this has for children's learning. This is a large nursery and the manager delegates some of the monitoring of staff practice to middle managers. The deputy and room leaders have identified some aspects of staff practice to develop. However, their monitoring has not been fully effective in identifying where staff need further support to provide children with the highest quality of education.
• Overall, staff are skilled in supporting children's communication and language development. They provide good language role models that is matched well to children's development. For example, staff working with babies and toddlers copy the sounds children make and use nappy changing times so children can see how they move their mouth to create different sounds. Staff use well-planned language interventions and signing to support children in the early stages of language development. Although there are no concerns about behaviour management, the toddler rooms and pre-school room are, at times, very noisy. This makes it difficult for adults and children to hear what is being said to them.
• Staff know the children very well. A 'buddy' key person system is in place so that there is always at least one adult available who knows each child well and can communicate verbally with parents at drop off or collection times. Staff have a secure understanding of child development and the manager's curriculum. They use this to plan the individual learning programmes for each child. This includes having specific focus on children's next steps in learning.
• The provision for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is excellent. The SENCo thoroughly monitors children's progress. This includes the use of baseline assessments to ensure that they make timely referrals when children need support from outside agencies. Leaders show integrity to provide children and their families with additional support. A high staff to child ratio ensures that children's needs are met well.
• The manager and staff have planned the outdoor learning environment to provide children with opportunities for risky play, to develop their understanding of the world and to use their critical thinking skills. Pre-school children show they are resourceful and have a 'can-do' attitude as they solve problems independently as they play outdoors. Children access equipment that offers a range of movement including balancing and swinging.
• Staff are skilled in helping children to develop their emotional understanding. The manager has identified a progressive approach from babies to pre-school to help children develop their understanding of emotions and self-regulation.
• Staff support children's health well and thorough arrangements are in place to minimise the spread of germs. Staff are attentive to children's physical needs and are diligent when they change nappies.
• Parent partnerships are good. Parents and Grandparents highly praise the staff. They share how their children have progressed very well since starting. They appreciate the online and in-person feedback.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support middle management further in their roles to monitor staff practice to ensure that children consistently receive high quality education
• enhance the arrangements indoors for the toddlers and pre-school children to further support their communication skills.