Safari Childcare Runwell Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and are warmly greeted by staff. They readily leave their parents in the reception area before going to their classrooms. Children demonstrate secure attachments with staff. Staff are sensitive to children's needs, offering cuddles and reassurance when needed. Staff ensure that each child feels welcome. For instance, during group time, children are welcomed by the 'hello' song that includes each child's name in the song.

The leadership team has a good understanding of how children learn. The team combines this knowledge with what children need to learn next to construct a clear, sequenced and ambitious curriculum. It's focus is on supporting children's communication, language, and physical development.

Children behave well. They receive plenty of praise and encouragement, which supports their self-esteem and confidence. Staff recognise and reward children's successes such as trying new tasks. Children demonstrate great pride as they say, 'I did it' and explain that they can take home one of the nursery's soft dinosaurs as a reward for their achievement. This helps to motivate children and develop positive attitudes to learning.

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

• Following several staff changes in recent months, the new management team has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the nursery and a clear vision for further development. More experienced staff model effective teaching practices. This helps to drive improvement across the nursery. As a result, staff report feeling well supported in their roles.
• Overall, most staff know their key children well. Leaders have implemented effective settling-in processes for new children at the nursery. These procedures enable key persons to get to know their children and help children to feel safe and secure. However, this is not consistent among all staff. For instance, when newly recruited staff become a child's key person, relevant information is not always shared effectively. This does not fully enable staff to meet children's individual needs.
• Children are becoming confident communicators. Staff support children in learning new words through clear modelling. They introduce vocabulary to children during activities and model their meaning. For example, when young children explore oats with spoons, staff introduce words, such as 'pour' and 'scoop', to describe their actions. Children then copy the language that staff model. All children enjoy joining in with familiar songs and rhymes. Staff use Makaton sign language to support the development of spoken language for those children who need additional support.
• Children are making good progress in their physical development. The environment for babies is well planned to enable them to develop their core muscles as they pull to stand on low-level furniture. Children enjoy being physically active outdoors, learning to navigate space while riding their scooters and tricycles on the hard surface. Staff provide opportunities for children to practise big arm movements as they encourage children to use chunky chalk to draw around their friends.
• Leaders and staff identify key books and songs for children in each room. Older children participate in small group sessions where staff read stories, pausing at appropriate moments to ask questions and check for their understanding. For example, children can recall events in the story of the gingerbread man and predict what will happen next. As a result, they are developing a love for books and reading.
• The arrangements for meeting children's dietary needs are good. Each child has an individual placemat with information about their dietary needs. During mealtimes, staff promote children's independence by encouraging them to serve their own food and pour water using small jugs. This helps children develop the skills needed for later life.
• Leaders and staff work hard to build positive relationships with families. Parents reflect that there have been several changes in staff since their children started, but this is now settled. Most comment that their children enjoy coming to the nursery and are pleased with their children's progress. However, others would welcome some more detailed feedback. Parents feel the new staffing team is invested in their children's care and learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the key-person approach so newly recruited staff have the relevant information they need to meet the individual needs of all children
• continue to build on partnerships with parents to expand on the two-way exchange of information so that parents continue to feel fully informed about their child's progress and learning.