Precious Little Smiles- Day Nursery, Stratford upon Avon

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter nursery happily and are eager to become involved in the activities available to them. They enjoy learning and involve their friends and staff in their play. Key people spend time gathering lots of information from parents about their child when they first attend. They use this to provide care tailored to children's individual needs. As a result, children form close attachments which positively supports their social development. Staff encourage children to continually develop their language and communication skills. They ask questions to encourage children's thought processes when creating their own snowmen.

Staff use their observations of children to identify ways to support their learning further. As a result, children benefit from an interesting and full curriculum that supports children's individual learning needs and builds on what children already know. While the provider plans activities and shares these with staff, opportunities for staff to be involved in this process more are still evolving. Parents are actively involved, and staff share ideas of ways they can support their child's learning at home.

Children behave extremely well. Older children are positive role models to the younger children and share the resources with them, modelling turn taking. Staff reinforce this also through gentle reminders when minor disagreements take place. Children use their manners well. They say please and thank you, and when they have finished eating ask if they are able to leave the table. Children's confidence and self-esteem blossoms through the praise and encouragement they receive. Through their behaviour, children show that they feel safe and secure.

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

• Managers and staff have worked hard since the last inspection and have addressed all of the actions raised. They are passionate about the care they provide for both children and their families. They pride themselves on the strong partnerships they have formed with parents and effective communication that takes place. There is a strong emphasis on self-evaluation within the nursery. The views of parents and staff are regularly sought and used to identify areas of strength and areas they wish to develop further. This includes ways to develop opportunities for children to enhance their physical development. That said, children do enjoy a range of physical activities, including cosmic yoga, music and movement and freeze tag.
• Managers and staff work well together. Staff's well-being is supported well. Ongoing monitoring of staff's practice leads to focused training opportunities that enable them to explore topics of interest as well as enhancing their current skills further.
• Children thoroughly enjoy being creative as they use a wide variety of materials. Staff and children engage in conversation which supports their language and communication skills well. Children explore how to make a snowman using various body parts made from containers that they fill with rice. They listen to the rice as it falls into the containers and comment on the 'pitter patter' sound it makes. They comment how the rice is falling faster and faster as they quickly scoop and pour it into the pots.
• Physical activity plays an important part of the nursery day. Children enjoy riding wheeled toys around and respond as staff make pretend traffic lights with coloured hoops which keep changing colour. They recognise that they have to stop when the traffic light is red, slow down when it is amber and go when it changes to green. Children thoroughly enjoy trips and outings to places of interest and spend lots of time building their awareness of the community around the nursery.
• Children enjoy freshly prepared meals each day. They sit together to eat with staff, who encourage children's awareness of foods that are good for their bodies. Children independently help themselves to cucumber, carrot and cheese, which they add to their pasta. Fresh drinking water is freely available throughout the day. However, opportunities for children to build their awareness of taking care of their teeth and good oral health are not yet established.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider ways to enhance children's awareness of oral health
• enhance ways of involving the wider staff team in planning the curriculum.