The Early Years Academy Loughborough

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are supported by staff with their emotional well-being when they face changes in their lives. For example, when children have new baby siblings at home, staff offer them opportunities to role play with dolls. Prior to children moving on to school, staff provide school uniforms for children to dress up in. This activity helps children become familiar with clothing they will be wearing when they move on. Children in the pre-school room are supported by staff to develop their confidence and interactions with others. For example, when pre-school children ask staff what other children are doing, staff encourage them to use their voices and ask their peers themselves. Children are offered experiences to broaden their learning. For example, staff show older children how to scrape flints together to make a spark to start a fire. This is carried out under the close supervision of staff to ensure children's safety.

Children are encouraged to complete tasks on their own. For instance, in the toddler room, staff encourage children to serve their own food and pour drinks. Staff praise children for doing this on their own, helping to raise their self-esteem. Staff give children gentle reminders to use good manners, such as to say 'please' when they ask for food at mealtimes.

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

• The manager regularly checks the staff's knowledge of safeguarding and how they intend to support children's safety and development. She provides staff with books about child development to further their understanding of the ways children like to learn. Staff use what they read to help them plan activities to meet children's individual needs. For example, when children like to throw, they provide them with a tube to throw balls down.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well by the manager and staff. They ensure that, if needed, children are referred to other professionals in a timely manner. All staff are made aware of how they can meet children's individual needs. This contributes to helping children progress and to close gaps in their learning.
• The manager spends additional funding that children receive effectively. For example, this is used to provide extra staff to meet children's emotional needs and focused group time activities to aid their development.
• The manager and staff carry out safety checks in the environment, helping them to identify and minimise potential risks to children. Staff promote children's safety when they play in the sun. For example, they apply sun cream to children's exposed skin and ensure that they wear hats when they play outdoors in hot weather.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to understand how some healthy foods grow. For example, children in the pre-school room help staff to plant and grow strawberries and carrots. However, staff do not plan precisely enough to support all children to understand the importance of oral hygiene.
• The manager and staff know the children well and how to support their development in the different rooms in the nursery. This includes helping children in the baby room to develop their physical skills. For example, staff hold their hands to support their balance and coordination when they want to walk.
• Overall, staff support children's communication and language skills well. In the baby room, staff use repetitive words, such as 'shake, shake, shake' to support children's speaking skills. However, in the toddler room, staff do not always recognise the impact loud voices can have on children's abilities to listen, concentrate and participate.
• Staff support children to show kindness to others. For example, in the baby room, when children begin to offer staff toys, staff ask them to share them with their peers and children willingly do this.
• Staff share information with parents about their children's learning. They share information with parents about activities children are offered and how they can continue their child's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to plan more precisely to support all children to learn about the importance of oral hygiene
• strengthen staff interactions with children in the toddler room to help them listen, concentrate and participate.