Teenie Tiny Steps Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

As children arrive at this welcoming and inclusive nursery, they are greeted with warmth and enthusiasm by the friendly staff. This helps children to feel immediately welcome. Children are confident and happy to engage with staff. Children know what is expected of them. They behave well and demonstrate an understanding of rules and boundaries. Staff support children who speak English as an additional language to develop their English language. Staff use visual aids, work closely with parents and incorporate children's home languages into activities and routines. Staff ensure all children are exposed to a language-rich environment. They continuously talk to children about what they are doing and introduce new words. They read stories with repetitive phrases. Staff sing songs and rhymes with children. Staff provide plenty of opportunities for children to join in story sessions. Children sit and look at books and share them with their friends. Staff are keen to help children develop a love of books.

Staff provide children with a wide range of stimulating and challenging activities. Children are keen learners and demonstrate a positive attitude towards their learning.

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

• Leaders have high expectations for children's learning. They have devised and implemented a sequenced curriculum that supports children to build on their existing skills. Staff fully understand the curriculum and implement it effectively. All children make good progress from their starting points.
• Leaders ensure effective support is in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Staff support children to gain good independence skills. They provide lots of opportunities for children to do things for themselves. Children serve their own cereal and pour their milk independently. All children help to tidy away toys after they play.
• As children play, staff skilfully weave in opportunities to extend children's learning. For instance, as children play with sand, staff build on children's emerging understanding of mathematics effectively, such as counting, size and shape. However, staff plan group activities that do not always take account of the varying ages and developmental levels within the group. Consequently, at these times, children do not fully benefit from the experience.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about the world around them. For example, staff help children to learn about people's differences and similarities. Children learn about different cultures and traditions through play and activities.
• Children explore the variety of enticing activities on offer at the nursery. Children concentrate as they manipulate dough by squashing, squeezing, patting and rolling it. This helps to build their small muscles in readiness for developing further skills, such as scissor and pencil control. However, on occasion, staff move children on to other activities before they have finished playing.
• Staff help children to learn about healthy lifestyles. They provide children with healthy snacks. Staff ensure children have plenty of opportunities to play outdoors in the fresh air. Children develop their physical skills as they whizz around on scooters.
• Staff support children to be creative. Children have fun as they use different coloured paints to make patterns on paper. Staff extend their learning as they teach children to recognise and name the different colours.
• Staff manage children's behaviour effectively. They speak to children in a calm and gentle way. Staff support children to learn to take turns, share and play cooperatively. Staff ensure that children use good manners. Children behave well.
• Children build strong attachments with all staff. Staff regularly praise children for having a go and trying new things. This supports children's self-esteem and helps to boost their confidence.
• Parents are highly complementary about the care their children receive and the good progress they make. Parents comment on the good communication and support they receive from staff. Staff give parents ideas and suggestions to help them to support their child's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• give careful consideration to children's age and stage of development when planning group activities
• support staff to give children enough time during activities to enable them to finish what they are working on.