Smartys Little Stars Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at the nursery and separate from their families with ease. They quickly settle into the routine of the day and become engrossed in their play. Children develop very good relationships with staff. They feel safe and secure in the stimulating learning environment. The manager and staff make sure that they talk with families and children about what their lives are like outside the nursery, to help them to plan meaningful learning experiences.

The structure of the day enables children to spend significant time outdoors to explore and investigate. Older children relish the opportunities of the outdoor forest environment. They are highly motivated learners. They look under logs to find a variety of insects to study with their magnifying glasses. Babies and toddlers are active learners, and they benefit from a well-designed curriculum to support their physical development.

Children enjoy many sensory experiences. They can feel textures, explore the properties of sand and water, manipulate coloured balls in the ball pit, and watch the way lights change colour in the light tubes. Children are very confident, sociable and behaviour is excellent. Children learn the skills that they need and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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

• The manager and staff use their knowledge to plan a selection of exciting and engaging activities across the curriculum. Staff make ongoing assessments of children's achievements. Consequently, they know children well and understand their developmental needs and interests.
• Staff are very positive role models to children. They have exceptionally high expectations for children's behaviour. Staff teach children the importance of being respectful to others and to say please and thank you. They welcome other children into their ongoing play, and they are happy to share resources. This develops children's self-esteem because they understand that they are valued, and their contributions are essential.
• Staff are animated and confident in how they engage with children. They generate a fun atmosphere, which enables children to enjoy their learning. However, very occasionally, this means that staff introduce too many new ideas at the same time. As a result, some conversations and interactions with children are not developed as well as they could be.
• Staff place a strong emphasis on supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They work in close partnerships with a wide range of other professionals to put plans in place to support children to reach their full potential.
• Children develop a love of books when they listen to familiar stories. Staff read with enthusiasm, encouraging children to join in with words and phrases. Staff support children's emerging language skills well. They repeat and pronounce words correctly. Staff working with babies and toddlers use books and songs, and talk to them about what they are doing.
• Staff teach children to be independent, such as learning to put their coat and shoes on and manage their personal hygiene. Staff provide children with healthy and nutritional snacks and meals that promote their good health. Children learn about the importance of eating vegetables and fruit and where they come from.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Staff share information with parents at drop off and collection times, and encourage them to view and add to children's online learning records. Parents appreciate the ideas staff share to help to support their children's learning at home. Each child's key person holds review meetings with parents to update them on their children's progress and next steps in learning. Parents report that they are happy with the service they receive.
• The manager encourages her staff team to reflect on their practice. She constantly evaluates the nursery, and the team works together to make changes and drive improvement. Staff access regular training opportunities, which help them to have a secure understanding of early childhood development. Despite this, there are some minor variations in the quality of some aspects of teaching. All children, including those who speak English as an additional language and those with SEND, make good progress from their starting points in learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on plans for professional development to identify ways to help to raise the quality of teaching to the highest level, including developing further staff's interactions with children.