Puddleducks North Finchley

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and thoroughly enjoy the time they spend at the nursery. They confidently separate from their parents, greet friends with enthusiasm and quickly settle to their chosen activities. Children benefit from kind and caring staff. Babies readily approach key persons for cuddles and comfort when they need reassurance. Older children invite staff to join in with their play. Children behave well. They are kind and considerate towards each other and know how to share and take turns. Staff have high expectations for all children. Children show positive attitudes to learning. For example, older children enjoy activities as these closely reflect their interests. Staff encourage children to recall what they have learned. For example, as older children play in a bug and sand tray, they recall the names of the mini beasts and where they live.

Babies use their senses to explore the world around them. They listen and touch as they read tactile books. They shake and listen to the different sounds of the sensory bottles. Children are keen learners. For instance, they spend a long time developing their concentration skills as they successfully use scissors. Children demonstrate a sense of achievement as they happily share what they have achieved with the staff.

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

• The management team implement an ambitious curriculum. It focuses on children's interests and what children already know, to promote further learning. Staff know the children very well. This allows them to move children's learning on from the moment they start.
• Staff promote children's physical skills well. They provide opportunities for babies and younger children to strengthen muscles in their hands. Children make bubbles in the soapy water. They use a wide range of scoops, containers, jugs and cups to pour and fill water. Older children learn to practise their physical skills in the roof top garden, where they negotiate space on ride-on toys.
• Overall, staff support and extend children's literacy skills well. Staff actively encourage children to interact during story time and provide opportunities to sit quietly with a book of their choice. Although children have good opportunities to develop their early writing skills, staff do not encourage older children to write for a purpose.
• Children are provided with a variety of healthy freshly cooked meals. Older children confidently use knives, as they spread cream cheese on their crackers. Staff support children's overall independence. However, occasionally, some staff step in too quickly and help with tasks babies and younger children can do for themselves.
• Children behave well. There is a strong focus on supporting children's emotional well-being. Staff provide many opportunities for children to express their emotions. They name emotions as they read stories with young children. Children are becoming confident to talk about their feelings.
• Children communicate confidently. Staff actively engage them in conversations and introduce new vocabulary. For instance, staff extend pre-school children's interest in sea life very well and introduce new words, such as, 'squid', 'lobster', and 'crab'. Staff ask questions and they regularly recap previous learning, which helps children to talk about their experiences and improve their sentences.
• Parent partnerships are strong. Parents speak highly of the staff and comment on how caring and nurturing the team is. Staff provide regular updates for parents about their child's ongoing progress. In addition, they share ideas with parents to enable them to build on their child's learning at home.
• The management arranges supervision and identifies areas for continued professional development. After staff meetings and training, staff reflect on what they have done at nursery and focus on what they will be doing. The sharing of knowledge gained from training helps staff to feel valued and appreciated.
• All children make good progress, including those with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language. Staff share information with other professionals involved in children's care and follow tailored learning plans to help support children's development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop the literacy curriculum, particularly for the older children, to extend their writing skills further
• enhance further the opportunities for babies and younger children to take part in routines and activities that encourage their developing independence.