Small Wonders

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish in this bright and enticing nursery. They build positive relationships with staff, who are kind and nurturing. Staff have high expectations for children's progress and, overall, are highly effective at meeting their needs. The embedded key-person system means staff get to know all children well and support them to understand their emotions. These bonds help children to feel safe and secure.

Leaders have developed a flexible and ambitious curriculum, securely rooted in the knowledge of how children develop and what they need to learn next. Staff follow children's interests and gradually weave learning opportunities into their daily routine. Staff have high ambitions for children's progress and ensure the curriculum is carefully sequenced and adapted to children's individual needs. This helps to ensure that children embed skills across all areas of learning.

Children relish their opportunities for outdoor play. They demonstrate good physical dexterity as they bounce and kick balls and run freely around the secure outdoor area. Staff teach children to take appropriate risks and challenges as they play, building their confidence and resilience and giving them a sense of achievement when they succeed. Children listen and respond well to instructions and smile with pride as they receive praise for their efforts. They are developing highly positive attitudes to learning.

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

• Leaders are passionate and committed to providing a high standard of care and education for children in the community. They are highly reflective in their evaluations of the nursery and focused on making continuous improvements. They act with integrity in using the funding children receive to ensure it best meets their individual needs.
• Leaders forge strong relationships with external professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged. Children with SEND are provided with tailored support and detailed individual plans. Children with lower starting points are provided with the necessary intervention so that any identified gaps in knowledge are addressed swiftly. This helps all children to make good progress.
• Staff promote a love of reading by sharing stories with children and referencing these during play. Staff read with enthusiasm and story times are exceptionally well delivered. Staff offer creative ways to make links in children's learning with a variety of different stories and extend their understanding of the world by incorporating books into their daily routine. For instance, children enjoy reading 'Monkey Puzzle' and demonstrate a good recall of the events. They tell staff that 'Julia Donaldson' wrote the story and get an abundance of praise for their recollection. This helps to extend children's literacy skills.
• Children demonstrate a secure knowledge of the daily routine. For instance, during a well-organised lunchtime, children self-serve their jacket potatoes, cheese and salad using tongs. They pour their own water and discuss the foods they are eating and where they come from. For example, children tell staff that 'cheese comes from cows' and staff praise them for their knowledge. Children are learning about healthy eating habits and becoming increasingly independent.
• Staff are nurturing and receptive to children. They make good use of facial expressions and introduce children to the names of farm animals to support their communication development. However, occasionally, some staff do not offer children enough time to think and respond after they ask them questions. In addition, at times there is background music playing that inhibits some children hearing, processing and understanding what is being said to them. Therefore, there are times when some children are not consistently developing their speech and language skills.
• Parent partnerships are strong. The two-way flow of information between home and nursery is strengthened using an app, as well as daily feedback from the staff. Leaders strive to offer parents an abundance of support and have an open-door policy for any concerns. This helps to ensure that both the children and family's needs are continually met.
• Leaders are highly appreciative of the staff and place a strong emphasis on their well-being. They have implemented a regular programme of supervision and support and offer staff a flexible and caring work environment, to promote a positive and respectful culture throughout the nursery. This helps to promote good outcomes for all children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to implement the curriculum for communication and language consistently across all age groups to help children further develop their speaking and listening skills.