Pink Hippo Day Nursery & Pre-School Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish at this wonderfully supportive setting. Staff provide a range of high-quality learning experiences and show children care and respect. Children build strong bonds with staff, which helps them settle quickly. Children show they are emotionally safe and secure and are ready to learn. They smile, laugh and chat to each other as they involve themselves in the motivating activities the staff provide through the thoughtfully planned and delivered curriculum.

Staff have high expectations of all children. As a result, children's behaviour is exemplary. Staff show a commitment to helping children achieve the best possible progress in their learning. They skilfully engage children in back-and-forth conversations, extending their learning and helping children develop a wide range of vocabulary. For example, staff teach older children about healthy food choices and explain what jalapenos are and what they taste like. Babies and toddlers thrive as they wiggle and dance rhythmically to the songs and rhymes staff sing with them. They copy simple words, phrases and actions.

Children benefit from the range of excellent teaching strategies staff consistently use. Staff ensure children of all ages have opportunities to gain new experiences. They give children time to practise and extend their skills and knowledge inside and outside. Staff sensitively support children to take risks in their play. Children confidently climb, ride bicycles, push prams and investigate the exciting objects hidden in the sand and in the water tray. These carefully planned and effectively delivered opportunities help children make excellent progress from their starting points.

Children demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. They focus well, listen to staff and follow simple routines and instructions. They are socially confident and show caring attitudes towards each other. For example, older children comment on their younger friends' abilities. They say: 'Wow! She is good at this isn't she?' as they play a board game together.

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

• Staff are incredibly positive and show children how much they value them. All staff consistently use praise and encouragement and give children opportunities to express their ideas and make choices for themselves. For instance, babies and toddlers thrive from the cuddles staff give them. Children beam when staff use phrases such as 'amazing!' and 'good job!' Older children learn about fairness as they use tokens to vote on the games they would like to play.
• Managers are extremely reflective and have high expectations of staff and children. There is a strong focus on staff's professional development. Staff are keen to improve their already strong practice so they can support children's learning and development effectively. For example, staff use their sensory room training to skilfully teach children how to explore and learn using all their senses.
• Staff know children exceptionally well. They use this knowledge alongside their effective assessment procedures to identify any gaps in children's leaning. These gaps are quickly addressed as staff thoughtfully adapt their teaching and provide additional or different resources. Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is superb. The special educational needs coordinator uses her extensive knowledge to support all staff to work closely with parents and professionals to ensure children make timely progress. Staff demonstrate a strong ethos of enabling all children to blossom and achieve their full potential. This means all children have a strong foundation in their learning ready for school.
• Relationships and support for parents are excellent. Staff go above and beyond to work with families to gain an insight into children's lives. Parents talk about how staff give children everything they need and how children have a brilliant start to learning at this friendly and supportive setting. They comment on staff being easy to talk to. Parents value the extra support staff provide to help children's learning at home.
• Managers have designed an ambitious curriculum based on the needs of the children. For example, managers are aware that older children's experiences of playing and sharing were limited during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, there is a strong emphasis on teaching children how to play cooperatively and how to take turns. Staff also place a priority on the prime areas of learning. This gives children the strong building blocks they need for future learning.
• Children benefit from an extensive range of opportunities to learn about their local community. They regularly travel on the bus and tram and spend their book day tokens in the local book shop. These experiences stimulate children's curiosity and interest in the world around them. Children love singing, dancing and playing instruments with a local musician who visits the setting each week. This enables children to be creative and express themselves.