Our Little Explorers Nursery LTD

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the nursery happy and confident. They separate from their parents or carers with ease and warmly greet staff and their peers. Children display a strong sense of belonging, independently finding their name and picture when they arrive to self-register. This helps children enter the nursery with confidence, eager to greet their friends and ready for learning. Children independently choose the resources they want to play with, and staff are available to support children's learning. Children enjoy being imaginative. They become absorbed in rich role play in the well-resourced home corner. Those who benefit from learning outside access a wide range of activities in the secure garden.

Staff provide an ambitious nurturing environment, where children feel happy, safe and comfortable to explore. Staff meet children's emotional needs and prepare them well for change. For example, settling-in sessions are tailored to meet the needs of the individual child. Children establish positive relationships with their key person and familiar staff. Children are highly sociable. Older children show growing confidence as they talk to visitors about their time at nursery and how they enjoy attending and play with their friends. They demonstrate their secure understanding of the routines as they explain to visitors, 'It's what we children do, we draw and we put it on the table.'

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

• Staff support all children well, using thorough assessment to ensure all children are meeting their individual milestones. Staff have high expectations for what all children can achieve. They use a range of strategies, including visual aids, to help children learn to communicate their needs, even if they have not yet developed the language to do so.
• Children benefit from familiar daily routines that support their independence and help them understand expectations for their behaviour. For instance, they recognise the song for tidy-up time and sing along as they enthusiastically pack away the toys. Children help to put out place mats for their friends at lunchtime. These routines help children develop a sense of responsibility and understand the importance of looking after their environment.
• Staff interact sensitively with children. They sit down at their level, join in with their play and support them as they talk through what they are doing. They skilfully weave mathematics into everyday activities. For instance, while preparing for lunch, they ask children to estimate how many bowls are needed. Children enjoy social mealtimes and sit together around the table. Staff are excellent role models of courtesy for children.
• Staff set up learning opportunities and areas of interest, children are free to choose and follow their curiosity. This helps develop independence, and a love of learning. However, some large-group activities are not organised effectively enough by staff to enable all children to participate fully. This results in some children struggling to remain engaged and focused.
• The learning environment is planned well, overall, offering a range of engaging and purposeful areas. However, staff do not consistently consider how to include calming spaces for children who may need time to regulate their feelings, when they become overwhelmed. This impacts on children's emotional well-being.
• Staff work with schools, the local authority and external agencies to ensure targeted plans are in place for all children to support their individual learning and transitions to their next stages. Parents are very positive about the nursery. They feel very informed about their children's learning. Staff offer parents ideas about how they can help support their children's learning at home. This helps to provide consistency in supporting children to reach their full potential.
• Leaders listen to parental feedback and make adjustments to the provision as required to improve quality. Staff report feeling supported in their roles, with leaders regularly checking on their well-being. They access a range of training to support their teaching practice.
• Staff support children to develop healthy lifestyle habits and how to keep safe. For instance, they have an excellent understanding of which foods are not healthy. Children develop an understanding of practices to keep them safe while in nursery. For example, they describe the fire evacuation procedures to visitors.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of large-group activities to ensure that all children are able to remain engaged and focused on the learning opportunities provided
• consider the organisation of the environment to further meet the needs of children requiring quiet spaces.