Planet Kaos Nursery And Preschool Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy attending this warm and welcoming nursery. They demonstrate confidence and self-assurance as they arrive and quickly engage in activities with their friends. Children excitedly explore the recently improved environment and are focused in their play. They show positive attitudes to learning through high levels of curiosity and engagement.

Children benefit from a curriculum that supports their personal, social and emotional development. Staff are well-qualified and are kind, patient and nurturing in their approach. This helps young children to develop positive attachments and confidence in readiness for learning. Older children are encouraged to develop the essential skills they need in readiness for school. They are becoming confident communicators, good listeners and can skilfully manage their feelings and emotions. Children learn the importance of leading healthy lifestyles. They benefit from healthy meals and snacks and engage in daily energetic play in the fresh air. Children are also able to access the on-site soft play facility, where they can further develop their gross-motor skills, such as climbing, balancing and running.

Children show a strong awareness of routine and what is expected of them. They are learning to share, to take turns and play collaboratively with their friends. For example, they work together to push large tyres along the ground and show excellent waiting skills as they patiently take turns using wheeled toys in the garden.

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

• Newly appointed leaders have worked hard to address the actions raised at the last inspection. They have embraced support from the local authority to help bring about positive changes that have a significant impact on children's learning and development. For example, there is now an ambitious and sequenced curriculum that provides children with essential knowledge that need to know and remember.
• Staff have attended safeguarding training and have a good understanding of their role and responsibility in protecting children from harm. This includes the action they should take in the event of an allegation against a colleague. Staff are vigilant and supervise children well.
• Staff provide an array of activities that reflect all areas of learning. However, not all staff consistently extend learning opportunities for children. For example, some staff are less confident in recognising when it is appropriate to challenge children's thinking and learning further. At times, staff do not deepen children's understanding and do not encourage children to solve problem themselves.
• Overall, staff support children's emerging communication and language skills well. They model language and narrate children's play, which helps children to hear lots of new vocabulary. They ask some thoughtful questions and repeat key words. However, staff are not always aware of the potential impact of the continued use of dummies on children's emerging speech and language skills.
• Staff have benefited from targeted training and have implemented new ideas into their practice. For example, recent maths training has encouraged staff to reflect on how they can support children's emerging understanding of simple mathematical concepts. As a result, children are developing early mathematical awareness in concepts such as, number, shape and measure.
• Staff encourage children to develop their independence and self-care skills in readiness for school. Children relish the responsibilities they are given as they pour their own drinks, help to sweep up, wash their own hands and serve themselves food.
• Staff have created strong and effective partnerships with parents. Parents are extremely complimentary about the nursery. They comment on the recent changes that have had a positive impact on the quality of care and education received. Parents welcome the support and guidance given by staff to enable them to further support their child's learning at home.
• Staff are led by a dedicated, knowledgeable and highly experienced manager and are supported by an inspiring early years teacher. They benefit from regular supervision meetings and are encouraged to continuously reflect on their practice. As such, staff are motivated in their work and their passion for early years is evident. This has a positive impact on outcomes for children and creates a happy and harmonious environment where children are paramount.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to make the most of opportunities when interacting with children, to further develop children's thinking, understanding and learning
• consider the use of dummies and the impact that this has on children's emerging communication and language skills.