Teenie Blooms

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children benefit from this child-led environment. They are excited and engaged as they use their curiosity to extend their learning by creating purposeful play experiences. Their starting points and progress are accurately assessed, and staff have high expectations for all children attending. Children's care needs are carefully considered and matched to routines at home. Babies and young children who are new to the nursery build sound relationships with staff. They seek and receive comfort, reassurance and cuddles.

Children are well behaved, caring and considerate. They learn about rules and boundaries and develop a strong sense of belonging and respect for one another. There is a clear focus on providing an inclusive service. Many of the children and families speak English as an additional language. Most of the staff are bilingual and provide opportunities for children to use their home languages and to converse with parents effectively. Children take part in varied celebrations throughout the year. This encourages an understanding of people and communities beyond their own and helps them to recognise and value each other's differences and similarities.

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

• There have been changes to the staff team with new staff joining and existing staff taking on new roles. Staff are supported well by leaders and managers and there is a real sense of dedication and teamwork throughout. There are effective induction procedures, and the ongoing programme of supervisions helps to foster a culture of mutual support. That said, managers have introduced a new structure for the curriculum that requires staff adapt their teaching and the opportunities they provide for children in a more spontaneous way. Some staff are less confident and this practice, which aims to raise the quality of education for children, is not yet embedded.
• Many of the children attend the setting in term time only. During some holidays, the setting offer a holiday club for older children. This creates a period of change for the children who remain at the setting through the holidays. Children are coping well, and new relationships are evident between children and staff. However, these situations, along with the recent staffing changes, mean that sometimes children do not have their allocated key person or a consistent member of staff for support.
• Staff observe and assess children's progress and provide a range of activities that build on what children already know and can do. They follow children's interests effectively when planning new learning activities for them.
• Children enjoy a variety of experiences to help them develop their language and communication skills effectively. Staff involve themselves in children's play and use and encourage new vocabulary for children to copy. Children's interest in books is encouraged. Staff provide different props and resources for children to use to re-enact their favourite stories.
• Children's health and physical development is supported well. There are plenty of opportunities to move, explore and enjoy space outside in the fresh air. Children learn to count, take turns, negotiate the spaces available and remind others to keep quiet while they play hide and seek. They learn how to use the pedals on wheeled toys and confidently ask for help if they get stuck. Children enjoy seeing how far they can throw their paper planes and are keen to persevere with several goes.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. The setting's special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) knows the children well and has a good understanding of their individual needs. Staff work with the SENCo, parents and other professionals closely and together they devise support plans. This helps them to find the best ways to help individual children to catch up to their peers.
• Children behave well. Staff are good role models and are responsive to children's needs. They acknowledge when some children need a calming space, and act on this by providing time in the sensory room. Children watch as the lights change colour, and the bubbles move through the tube and benefit from the peaceful and relaxing environment.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on opportunities for staff to enhance their professional development and teaching skills, to help them deliver the highest quality of education for children
• strengthen the key-person system to help provide more support for children at times of change.