The Fun Factory

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly and feel secure in this warm, friendly and family-oriented environment. Children show that they enjoy their time at nursery. For example, they giggle, smile and talk excitedly with staff and other children about their day. Children separate confidently from parents and carers. They form strong bonds with staff. Babies clap their hands in excitement and seek staff out for cuddles as soon as they arrive.

Children show positive attitudes to their learning and make good progress. Staff skilfully organise the environment to promote children's natural curiosity and eagerness to learn. Children benefit from a good range of experiences, which prepare them well for their future success. For example, babies use spoons, scoops and containers to explore, empty and fill containers with rice. Older children squeeze oranges and lemons to make their own juice, and toddlers build towers and homes for their superheroes.

The curriculum is exciting and well planned to meet the needs and interests of the children. Staff use their secure knowledge of the children to provide an environment that inspires and engages them. All children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), progress well in their learning.

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

• The support for children with SEND and children who have possible speech delays is a strength of the nursery. Staff quickly identify children who need additional support. They work effectively with parents and other professionals to put targeted strategies in place, tailored to children's needs and preferences. As a result, children make good progress in their learning and development.
• Partnership with parents is effective. Staff make good use of settling-in arrangements to build strong relationships with families and children. Parents appreciate the verbal feedback about their child's day, weekly photos and the activities given to them to support children's learning at home.
• Children develop good communication and language skills. Staff engage in conversation with children as they play, introducing new words to increase their vocabulary. For example, staff introduce the words 'anchor', and 'telescope' as children excitedly act out their imaginary stories in a tray set up with a pirate ship and treasure. Staff skilfully correct children's pronunciation of words as they play, which supports children's speech and language skills well.
• Children develop a good understanding of mathematical concepts. Staff have worked hard to develop their own professional knowledge of how to bring the teaching of mathematics into everyday activities. For example, as children enjoy playing with sand and use containers, staff use language such as 'full' and
• 'empty'. In addition, children are encouraged to count during activities as they cut and add fresh herbs and leaves to malleable mixtures. This supports children's understanding of mathematics well.
• The management team evaluates the provision effectively. It carries out supervision sessions with staff and checks in on their well-being in regular team meetings. Staff comment that they feel valued and respected in their role. Staff are supported to use resources such as online training to support their ongoing professional development. The manager values the individual skills of her team and rewards staff's good practice. Effective systems are in place to recruit and induct new members.
• Overall, staff support children to develop good levels of independence. For example, they encourage children to find their own shoes, wipe their own noses and wash their own hands. However, at times, staff are too quick to step in to complete tasks for children and are not consistent in implementing their aims to encourage children to master new skills. Occasionally, some staff do not consistently extend children's understanding of how to follow a healthy lifestyle during daily activities so children fully understand the importance of healthy eating and taking regular exercise.
• Children have many opportunities to play and enjoy exploring outside. Older children's coordination and fine motor skills are supported well. For instance, older children enjoy making 'magic potions' in the mud kitchen using real kitchen utensils and ingredients. Meanwhile, younger children enjoy kicking footballs and playing on see-saws.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop a more consistent approach to encouraging children to be more independent in their daily activities and routines
• build on children's awareness of why it is important to make healthy choices and live a healthy lifestyle.