RAFA Kidz Honington

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive with enthusiasm, eager to start their day at this friendly and inclusive nursery. Staff talk to children about their interests and special events at home. This helps children to settle easily and contributes to their strong sense of belonging. The nursery serves as a hub of the community, maintaining close links with external organisations and groups. For example, leaders work closely with the local military personnel to develop themed activity bags and stories to support children when their loved ones are away.

Staff are ambitious for children and want them to succeed. They know when to step in to provide additional support. For example, staff show babies how to place the hoops over the poles and encourage them to have another go for themselves. The curriculum is sequenced well. This ensures children embed key skills and knowledge before moving on to the next stage in their learning.

Staff skilfully nurture children's critical thinking. They use questioning appropriately to encourage children to think deeply and solve problems. For example, staff ask older children to explain what will happen when they put more objects into the weighing scales. Staff focus on supporting children to do things for themselves. For example, they give toddlers the confidence to lift and carry a milk carton back to the kitchen. This helps children to build their resilience and sense of responsibility from a young age.

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

• Following the swift acquisition of the nursery, leaders have worked hard to establish a skilled and motivated staff team. This helps ensure consistency in staffing levels and supports children's individual needs. All staff benefit from regular supervision sessions, appraisals and professional development opportunities. For example, staff attend training to help them to enhance their everyday interactions with babies.
• Leaders and staff demonstrate a strong commitment to supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They work effectively with external professionals to ensure staff are trained to meet children's specific needs. Targeted use of additional funding ensures children with SEND access tailored support, either in small groups or through focused interactions with their key person. As a result, children make good progress.
• Staff read stories with enthusiasm, capturing children's interest. Children actively participate by joining in with key parts and demonstrating their recall of previous learning. Staff show babies how to hold a book and turn the pages independently. These opportunities help to foster a love of reading and support the development of children's literacy and language skills.
• Overall, children behave well. They follow staff's instructions and enjoy being helpful, for instance when it is time to tidy the room. However, at times, staff do not always deploy themselves well to support children's transition to a new activity or routine. This means that, occasionally, children wait for prolonged periods and become restless, distracted and less engaged.
• Leaders and staff work closely with parents and other agencies to ensure children experience good continuity of care and learning. They share information about local support groups and help families to access their entitlement to any additional funding. Parents comment positively on the information and updates they receive about their children's development, particularly through the nursery's online app.
• There is a strong focus on supporting children's health and well-being. Children benefit from regular sessions to practise their physical skills and learn about the benefits of being active. Furthermore, staff plan meaningful opportunities for children to visit a local allotment to get involved in growing vegetables. These experiences help children to learn how to form healthy habits for their future.
• The provider previously notified Ofsted about a significant event. This means that the provider has met their legal responsibility to notify Ofsted of such events. The inspector discussed this with leaders during the inspection and appropriate action has been taken. Leaders have strengthened the procedures for meeting children's individual dietary needs. This includes the introduction of red placemats for children with allergies and intolerances, which act as an ongoing visual reminder when meals are being served to children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to implement more effective transitions between routine activities to support children to remain engaged and focused in their learning.