Quality Kidz Nurseries Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet children warmly when they arrive at the nursery. Children settle quickly and staff provide a range of activities focused on children's interests and next steps in learning. Children and their parents form strong attachments to their key person and to other staff working in the nursery. Relationships are warm, respectful and nurturing.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) behave well. They demonstrate kindness towards each other and clearly care for their friends. Staff teach children that sometimes they need to wait their turn and support them to share. At tidy-up time, staff have high expectations of children and set challenges to guide and support those who are unsure how to tidy.

Throughout the day, learning takes place indoors and outside, and children are confident to play alone, with friends or with staff at different times. They enjoy setting challenges for themselves and staff respond encouragingly. For example, while playing in the water tray outside, a child decides to see if they can make a toy car float. They find some foam pieces which they balance the car on. They enjoy testing different sizes and shapes of foam to create the most secure float for their car before showing staff, who celebrate their achievement.

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

• Leaders have implemented a programme to support children's attention skills throughout the nursery. During these sessions, they demonstrate engagement and enjoyment, repeating the word 'wriggle, wriggle' then squealing with delight as a wind-up caterpillar's tail keeps wriggling when staff pick it up.
• Children are very enthusiastic about books in this nursery and staff encourage them to develop a love of books and reading. They enjoy reading books with their friends and staff, and are helped to use books to find information. Staff teach older children the names of different parts of a book and they confidently name the 'spine', 'blurb' and 'illustrations'.
• Staff support children to make meaningful marks. They adapt their expectations based on the needs of individual children and celebrate all their achievements. Older children like to practise writing their names and confidently talk about the letters in their names and the sounds they make.
• Although some staff are very good at modelling communication skills for children, this is not consistent across the nursery. At times, some staff use minimal instructional language with children, for example just using the word 'go' rather than explaining to the children that it is time to get ready to have a sleep. This does not fully support children to become effective communicators and to understand the importance of speaking in full sentences.
• Some staff are highly effective in supporting children to look after themselves. For example, a member of staff notices a child has paint on their face. She encourages them to wet a cloth to wipe their face, suggesting they check in a mirror that they have removed all the paint. However, this is not consistent across the nursery and, at times, staff will do things for children which they could do for themselves, such as wiping their noses. This does not support children's independence skills and to take responsibility for their own self-care.
• Children's physical well-being is supported by staff. They are encouraged to engage in physical activities outside, such as climbing and riding bicycles and scooters. At snack time, staff chat with children about foods which are healthy and those which are not. Children serve themselves from a selection of fruits and pour their own drinks.
• Parents talk about the positive impact the nursery has on their child's development and learning. Staff give them ideas of things they can do to further support their child's learning at home.
• Leaders are aware of areas of development in the nursery. They work closely with the local authority and put in place training to support continuous professional development for all staff. There is a system for regular supervision and staff meetings. Staff feel well supported by leaders and colleagues.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure all staff consistently support children's speaking skills by consistently modelling good communication through everyday interactions
• implement consistent strategies to further develop children's self-care skills.