Sweet Peas Day Care & Teaching Nurseries Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are greeted warmly by the staff and settle confidently into the routine of the nursery. They understand the rules and boundaries of the nursery with guidance from staff who know them well. Children are learning to be a kind friend. Staff gently remind children if they forget. As a result, children feel safe and secure.

Children's well-being is promoted through discussions and activities. Staff are teaching children to understand and share their emotions. For example, children read and talk about the 'colour monster'. They match the monster's colour to different emotions. Children then create their own monster while talking about their emotions and the colours that these represent.

Children and babies explore their environment, which offers them opportunities to crawl, climb and discover a variety of textures and objects. As a result, they are gaining confidence in their surroundings while developing their physical skills. For example, babies practise filling and emptying buckets in the soil. They use their hands to feel the soil or use spades to move the soil around the tray. They show excitement as they make marks with their hands using paint. Older children ride the bikes outside, taking turns with their friends. They show enthusiasm as they dance and move to music.

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

• There is a clear curriculum to support children's learning and development. Children participate in their learning with enthusiasm as staff build on what they already know and can do. As a result, children are making good progress in their learning and development, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For example, children focus intensely on building a wooden bridge with blocks. They use mathematical language to describe the positions of the blocks, and explore number as they count how high it is.
• Children benefit from a highly effective key-person system. Staff know the children exceptionally well. They ensure that they understand the unique needs of each child and identify individual learning styles. The key person implements targeted learning programmes to ensure any gaps in learning are quickly identified and reduced.
• Staff focus on children's early language and communication. Children learn simple Makaton from an early age. This ensures even the youngest children can communicate their basic needs. Children enjoy singing, rhyming and joining in with storytelling. Staff use repetition and the recalling of words to ensure children understand what they are learning. For example, in group time, children confidently communicate with the adult as they express their opinions. Staff repeat and clarify what children are saying. Children build their vocabulary and gain confidence in talking.
• The nursery's special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is very experienced in her role. She is knowledgeable about the children who require additional support. The SENCo works closely with families, key people and external agencies to ensure children receive the targeted support they require to meet their development needs. Additional funding allocated to children is used to support interventions and reduce any gaps in children's learning and development.
• Children are becoming increasingly independent in managing their self-care needs. They learn good hygiene routines such as washing their hands regularly and using tissues to wipe their noses. Children confidently choose and serve their own food at mealtimes and pour their own drinks. This supports their growing independence and helps to stop the spread of infection. However, the pre-school environment does not encourage independent exploration and challenge to extend learning further, particularly during children's free play.
• Managers implement a thorough induction and supervision process. This ensures that the highly qualified staff team working with children has the skills and knowledge to promote children's learning and development. Staff comment that they feel valued and supported by the management team.
• Partnership with parents is wonderful. Parents comment on the excellent feedback they receive from staff, in person and electronically. Parents value that the nursery takes their views into account. For example, they recently completed a questionnaire about parents coming into the nursery again following the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure that the environment provides independent exploration and challenge to extend learning further, particularly during children's free play
• check staff's understanding of safeguarding training attended to ensure they can implement it in practice.