Owl & Pussycat Rooms and Fun Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and quickly become settled in their play and learning. They have a positive attitude to learning and are eager to join in the activities planned for them. For example, children love making play dough objects, such as birthday cakes and pizza. Staff encourage children to select various-sized objects for decoration. Staff encourage children to count their decorations and discuss the size and shapes they have made. Children also use junk modelling to build houses and select their own resources with confidence. They explain their design and choices to staff.

Staff model good manners and respect. They encourage children to be independent. Children learn to put on their own aprons before playing in the sand. They wash their own hands and collect their own lunchbox. Children take turns, share and develop friendships. They are kind to one another and behave well.

All staff know how to use children's interests to engage them in purposeful activities to support their learning, especially their physical development. For example, children use wooden instruments and tap them together to the beat of a familiar song. Children show their delight as the tapping gets faster or slower. They join in and tap along with the different rhythms in time to the music.

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

• The manager demonstrates a clear curriculum intent for the setting. Staff plan a broad curriculum, which reflects children's interests and builds on what they already know and can do. Staff discuss what resources children would like to use or what they would like to make. Staff differentiate activities to enable all children to join in. This helps children to engage in their own learning and develops their confidence.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive good support. Staff identify and refer any children who may need extra support. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with parents and other professionals. They are offered small-group support sessions, which help to focus on children's individual learning targets. All children get the support they need and gain the skills required for the next stage of their education.
• Parent partnerships are strong. They talk positively about the staff and how much their children love coming to nursery. They share how well their children have settled into the setting and the progress they are making. They appreciate the online system used to communicate information. Staff provide reading activity packs, books and resources to help develop children's learning at home.
• The majority of staff interact and engage well with children. Staff work with children in small groups. They ask children a range of open-ended questions, which helps them to explain their decisions and respond using sentences. As a result, overall, children are becoming confident communicators. However, on occasion, some staff are less effective in promoting children's communication and language. For example, during lunchtime, staff tend to prioritise managing care routines and completing tasks over making the most of teaching opportunities to help children further build on these skills.
• Leaders truly care about the children who attend the nursery. There is an experienced staff team, and leaders support staff well. The manager observes staff's teaching. She provides them with constructive feedback to further improve their teaching. Staff complete regular training, which helps to keep their knowledge and skills current.
• Children are given opportunities to be independent throughout the day. They make choices about how much they would like to eat and what they want to have on their plate. Staff skilfully encourage children to try the new foods they bring in.
• Children are encouraged to use the toilet. Staff give support to children to gain independence. Children wash their hands with warm water and soap. This happens before mealtimes and after using the toilet.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to fully understand how to make the most of teaching opportunities, including at lunchtime, to further build on children's communication and language skills.