Ninny's House

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy attending and arrive happy and ready to learn. Strong bonds between children and staff support children's high levels of confidence and resilience. Children readily try new things and sustain their concentration well. They keep on trying when faced with challenges and do not give up. For example, a young child experiments with a spray bottle, showing determination to make this work. Their perseverance over time pays off, and they show great delight as they use this newfound skill to water the plants.

The well-planned provision for outdoor play motivates children and captivates their interests well. Staff support children's love of the outdoors through trips into the local community, such as to feed the ducks. Weekly forest school activities provide opportunities for children to solve problems and take manageable risks. Children apply their knowledge well as they create a challenging obstacle course that they negotiate skilfully.

Staff act as strong role models. They communicate consistent and clear expectations around behaviour that includes the promotion of good manners and respect for each other. Children behave well, share toys and are kind to their friends. Babies are cared for by familiar staff who are sensitive to their needs and manage their emotional well-being successfully.

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

• The owner leads an experienced and well qualified team effectively. She holds good oversight of the quality in the nursery, including staff performance and priorities that are linked to children's learning. Self-evaluation successfully identifies areas for improvement and is well informed through successful partnerships with other agencies, including the local authority.
• The well-planned curriculum is responsive to children needs and supports their good progress. Priorities are reflective of the individual needs of the children and are continually adapted to ensure good challenge. Staff promote positive messages around equality, including gender. However, they place less focus on teaching children about the lives and experiences of others outside the immediate local community.
• Staff performance is managed well. The owner acts as an effective mentor, supporting staff to gain new skills, including recognised qualifications. Ratios are met, and staff are deployed according to expertise and qualifications that are best suited to support the ages of the children they work with. Staff report favourably on workload and the good support that is given to them to fulfil their roles well. They use their good knowledge of child development to prepare children successfully for their next stages of development, including school.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills well. Children develop a love for reading and relish story times. They become captivated by animated storytelling and show an impressive vocabulary for their age. Children develop their listening skills as they hum along to classical music. They are supported to name the instruments they can hear and confidently name a range of brass instruments. Young babies giggle with delight during action rhymes, as they attempt to do the actions and say the words. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, communicate their needs well.
• Staff manage the health and safety of the youngest children well, particularly at mealtimes. Staff robustly follow food safety advice for babies to reduce the risk of choking. All children benefit from well-balanced and healthy meal options, which are reflective of their dietary needs or preferences. Older children show good independence as they serve their own meals and tidy away the tables when they are finished. Children are well supervised while they eat.
• Partnerships with parents are effective. Staff share regular and accurate assessments of children progress with parents, including the required summary check of progress. Parents are supported to share ideas about children's learning from home, which staff use well to plan for children's individual interests. Parents speak very positively about the quality of the provision, in particular the nurturing staff team, who cares for their children well.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the programme of learning for understanding the world so that the provision includes more diverse representations of life in modern Britain, beyond that of the immediate community.