Smallworld

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are extremely happy and settled at this setting. They benefit from a wide range of exciting and stimulating activities that the staff provide. For example, babies put on soft, fluffy waistcoats and give out bags of wool to their friends as they join in with nursery rhymes. Toddlers pick beans from their outdoor area and use them while making recipes in the mud kitchen. Older children are enthralled as they solve clues to discover their new pet goldfish. These interesting activities motivate children to learn. Children gain a thirst for learning from a young age.

Children behave very well and play harmoniously together. Staff have high expectations of all children. They teach children to share resources and to use good manners. Children show good listening and attention skills. They listen attentively to staff's instructions and follow them well.

Children benefit from various visitors to the setting. For example, the dental nurse helps to teach children how to brush their teeth correctly. The community police officer visits children to teach them how to cross roads using zebra crossings. Children go on walks around the local community and visit the zoo. These experiences help children learn about the world around them.

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

• Leaders are dedicated and passionate about providing high-quality childcare for all children. Staff create a broad and balanced curriculum. They know where their key children are up to in their development. Staff plan appropriate activities that target children's next steps in their development. Children make good progress in their learning.
• Staff plan many opportunities to enhance children's growing independence. Babies collect their own cushions at story time. Toddlers have a go at pouring their own drinks at snack time. Older children put their own coats and shoes on. They manage their own personal hygiene. These opportunities help children feel proud of the tasks they have accomplished by themselves.
• Leaders carry out regular supervisions. They set targets for staff to continuously improve their practice further, and prioritise professional development opportunities. Staff attend a range of training courses. For example, staff attend courses to further support children with their communication and language skills.
• Communication and language is promoted very well. Children's joyful singing can be heard throughout the nursery. Staff bring stories and songs to life as they sing and read books to children. Children are actively involved in stories. For example, they eagerly put a range of animal puppets into the model train that they meet in the story. Staff encourage babies to join in with repeated phrases in books and the sounds the animals make. This helps children make progress with their communication skills.
• Children's physical development is promoted well. Toddlers use pipettes to add water into ice cube trays as they play outside. Children fill their own jugs of water to water the plants. Older children ride around the track using balance bicycles and ride-on toys. They have lots of opportunities to climb, run around and balance. This helps to develop children's large-muscle movements.
• Children are learning how to keep themselves safe. For example, staff teach children about road safety. They teach children why they must wear a hat outside when the weather is sunny. However, the curriculum does not include teaching children how to safely use the internet or digital technology. Staff do not yet provide experiences that help children gain an effective understanding of how they can keep themselves safe when using digital technology or the internet.
• The special educational needs coordinator supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well. She is proactive in seeking advice and making referrals to other professionals and agencies, where necessary. Staff put tailored plans of support in place to meet the individual needs of children.
• Parents are thrilled with the service provided. They are thankful for the regular updates they receive about the activities children have taken part in each day. Parents comment on how flexible the staff are with the settling-in processes. Staff send home ideas for how parents can carry on learning with their children at home. This helps to provide continuity in children's learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help children gain an understanding of how to safely use the internet and digital technology.