Smart Kids Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settle quickly into their rooms with their peers on arrival. They form close relationships with staff, who cater well to meet their emotional needs. Staff are warm and caring towards children, which helps them to feel safe and secure in their care. Children enjoy their time in the nursery. For example, all children are eager to sing along and follow the actions to familiar songs and rhymes and join in with enthusiastic staff. Staff make appropriate adaptations to routines and activities to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and children who need additional support gain the learning experiences they need. This helps all children to continue to make progress from their starting points.

Children behave well. They listen and respond well to staff's gentle reminders to share toys with their friends and to use their good manners. For example, children say, 'thank you' when their peers are encouraged to give them one of their toys, so that they can both play. Staff give timely praise, which helps children to know the behaviours that are expected of them. Children gain the skills and understanding they need to prepare them for the next stage of their learning.

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

• The nursery curriculum is well designed, with clear intentions for children's learning and achievements from young babies through to pr-school. The learning is sequenced to help build on what children already know and can do. Staff use the information gained from their observations of children to decide what they are each ready to learn and make plans to provide for this learning.
• Staff know what they want to teach children to help them develop in the areas needed. However, the teaching methods used are almost always adult-led, table top activities. There is little opportunity for children to decide what they play with and how to use their imaginative and thinking skills to extend their learning in their chosen direction.
• At times, such as during outdoor play and mealtimes, children have lots of interesting conversations with staff about the activities they have engaged with, which helps children recall past events and includes the vocabulary they know. However, communication and language during teaching activities is not promoted as effectively. This is because staff verbal interactions through questioning with children require a response that is often limited to one word.
• Independence is promoted effectively for all children in the nursery. For example, young babies learn to feed themselves, while older babies build further on their skills with cutlery at mealtimes and know where to find their belongings. Older children begin to manage their personal care and dress themselves with increasing competence.
• Staff ensure that children who need additional support receive timely intervention and activities that are tailored to meet their specific needs. They liaise effectively with parents and other relevant professionals to ensure the support provided is effective to help children make the progress they are capable of.
• Children thoroughly enjoy being active, both indoors and outdoors. For example, they exert their energy and giggle while playing running games with the staff. Children practise their balance and coordination while climbing on the frames in a range of ways and sliding down. Babies strengthen their muscles and persevere to climb up steps and along rope structures. Staff praise their efforts and achievements. This helps raise children's self-esteem and confidence in their abilities.
• Managers ensure that staff receive the training, guidance and support they need to fulfil their duties effectively. Staff are provided with regular opportunities to reflect on their practice and discuss their training interests and needs to help them continue their professional development.
• Parents are happy with the nursery. They say that the staff are friendly and helpful. Parents comment particularly on how staff support children's emotional well-being. They value the information they receive about their child's care and learning, both at collection times and online.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build further on the provision for children's learning to provide a play environment that is stimulating and enables children to make decisions about how they play, that extends their learning
• develop staff verbal interactions so that children are provided with further opportunities to practise their speaking skills and use their increasing vocabulary.