Small Oaks

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and arrive at the nursery full of excitement. They all sit and sing a welcome song to greet their friends. They are eager to play outside, and older children independently put on their all-in-one suits and venture outside. They scramble to the top of the climbing frame, where they negotiate the steps safely and balance along the beams. Children splash in puddles and scream with delight as the water hits their faces.

Children behave well and have a positive attitude to their learning. Younger children press toys and giggle and smile as the animals pop up. They laugh as they see themselves in the mirror and snuggle close to staff to look at books. Older children relish role play. They learn about Africa as they pretend to go on a safari. They put on hats and use binoculars to look for animals. Staff encourage the children to draw or write about the animals they see. Children delight in listening to African music and the noise the drums make. They bang their home-made drums to the music and energetically move and dance expressing their creativity and imagination well.

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

• The manager is reflective and supports her staff well. They meet each month to discuss children's care and learning. The manager and staff have a clear understanding of the nursery curriculum and what they want the children to learn. Children explore the opportunities on offer and practise the skills they need for future learning. For example, children in pre-school solve problems as they decide how to make a bridge for their cars. They use wooden blocks and carefully fit them together until the bridge is strong enough.
• Staff support children's language skills well. They give younger children a running commentary of what they are doing so that they understand words. Staff repeat words and sing popular songs to help to extend children's vocabulary. Older children hold conversations, ask questions and describe objects. For example, they ask about the roads in Africa and talk about how bumpy and dusty they are as they ride in their pretend jeep.
• Children concentrate for long periods. Older children have great fun as they engage in exploring clay and making African animals. They manipulate the clay and talk about the patterns on the animals, such as stripes on zebras and spots on leopards. However, staff do not always make use of opportunities that arise from activities to encourage children to count.
• Staff take children into the community to develop their understanding of the wider world. Children visit shops and enjoy the woodlands. They go on trips to take part in music sessions to broaden their musical skills and to meet other children. Parents comment on these trips and say that their children thoroughly enjoy their days out of the nursery.
• Staff inform parents about their children's achievements. They talk to them at collection times, use an online communication system and send parents photos. Parents comment that they know about what their children are doing. This means that parents can help their children at home if they wish.
• Children learn to appreciate diversity and accept people who have other cultures and backgrounds. Staff provide an inclusive curriculum, which prepares children well for life in modern Britain. Staff teach children about race and ethnicity through engaging role-play activities and meaningful discussions. Children become enthralled while looking at books about children and their families. They compare hair textures and the homes they live in.
• Staff plan routines in the nursery to support children to understand what will happen next. They promote children's independence and encourage them to do things for themselves in preparation for school. For example, children select their own play, feed themselves and learn good hygiene procedures. However, staff do not plan changes in the daily routine as effectively. This is evident at mealtimes and when children go between playing inside and outside. At these times, some children are left waiting and are not fully engaged in learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the curriculum for maths to further support children to count and use number during their play
• review how the changes in the daily routine work so that children are engaged in learning during these times, paying particular attention to mealtimes and when children go outside.