The Cloud Factory

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and safe in this warm and welcoming environment. They have strong attachments to staff. Children happily seek staff out to join in with their play and for cuddles. Staff are responsive to babies' emotional needs and successfully meet these. For example, when babies are tired, they snuggle into staff for comfort and reassurance as they drift off to sleep. Older children are eager to share their experiences. They happily chat about what they have been doing at nursery and at home.

Children are independent, confident and self-assured. They demonstrate good social skills and communicate well. Older children sit together at mealtimes and chat to staff about what they are eating. They demonstrate good table manners and say 'please' and 'thank you' when asking for things. Children are well behaved. Children who might need additional support are identified quickly and plans are put in place to help them to achieve. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children receive the extra support they need. Leaders, managers and staff have high expectations for all children's learning and development.

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

• Leaders and managers have developed a well-thought-out and sequenced curriculum to help children to acquire the skills that they will need for the future. Staff promote good hygiene practices. They encourage children to independently meet their self-care needs, such as washing their hands before they eat. Older children pour their own drinks and serve their own snacks and meals.
• Staff take time to settle new children into the setting so that they feel safe and secure. They gather a range of information from parents about children's likes and dislikes, routines, and what children already know, understand and can do. They use this information to plan for children's learning from the start.
• Staff know their key children well. They confidently talk about children's individual personalities and what makes them unique. Staff observe children as they play, and assess their learning and development. They plan stimulating activities to support children's development, which are based around children's interests.
• Staff support children's communication and language development effectively. Stories, songs and rhymes are used throughout the setting and feature heavily in the interactions between children and staff. Staff working with the youngest children use simple words and sentences to communicate. Staff working with the older children engage them in conversations and ask questions to extend their thinking skills.
• Children have plenty of access to outdoor play. They spend time in the nursery garden where they develop their physical skills and learn how to manage risks. Children climb and balance on play equipment and use ride-on toys to help them to practise their skills. They learn about the natural world, such as planting and growing fruit and vegetables.
• Staff greet children as they join activities of their own choosing. However, staff do not routinely support all children to join in or persevere, especially those who prefer to play on the side lines. As a result, children sometimes lose interest and are not fully engaged in their learning.
• Self-evaluation is successful. Leaders and managers work with staff and parents to identify potential areas for improvement. They work hard to make changes which have a positive impact on children's learning. For instance, following a recent parental survey, the manager is planning to offer children more opportunities outside the setting. This will help to promote children's understanding of the wider world and provide them with new experiences.
• Leaders and managers have effective recruitment and supervision processes. Staff are dedicated and committed to their work and feel well supported. Training for formal qualifications, short courses and in-house training deepens staff's understanding and builds their confidence.
• Parents speak highly about the setting and staff. They say that their children love attending the nursery and enjoy a range of activities. Parents are kept informed about what children are doing and learning through verbal communication and an online application.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's teaching skills to enable them to fully support all children to join in and persevere in activities of their choosing.