The Little Academy Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are well supported by staff to feel happy and settled at this calm and caring nursery. Leaders ensure the security of the premises and place a high priority on children's safety. For example, staff carry out headcounts when children move from one area of the nursery to another. Leaders and staff work with parents and carers to provide flexible settling-in sessions that meet children's needs. There is a well-established key-person system in place. Children receive cuddles and reassurance from staff. As a result, they build good relationships with staff and feel emotionally secure in their care.

The stimulating learning environment supports children to be highly engaged in their learning. Children play well alongside each other and together. Staff explain to children how they must wait for their turn and share the equipment. Children learn to be patient and build good relationships with each other.

Leaders recognise that some children arrive at the nursery with lower communication skills than expected. Staff carefully monitor children's language skills. This ensures that they identify any gaps in children's learning. Staff have carried out training on how to support children who need further support with their communication skills. For example, they show children real objects, such as nappies and bowls, when communicating with them. This promotes children's understanding of daily routines and builds their knowledge of new words and concepts.

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

• Staff know children well and plan activities and experiences that meet their needs. For instance, staff know that some children in the nursery have recently welcomed new babies into their families. They provide dolls and baby equipment to promote children's understanding of how to care for babies. Children play imaginatively with the dolls, pretending to feed and rock them. This also supports children with the experience of becoming an older sibling.
• Children show that they remember newly learned vocabulary. For example, children use the word 'cobweb' when they find a spider outside and observe its habitat. Staff are skilled at making on-the-spot observations about what children know and can do. This helps them to decide what they want children to learn next. However, on occasion, staff do not consider how to adapt activities and experiences to further extend children's learning as they are playing. This does not support children to consistently make more rapid progress in their development.
• Staff promote children's independence skills. For instance, children learn to drink from open-top cups and clear away their plates at lunchtime. Staff encourage children to wipe their own noses and put on their own items of clothing. As a result, children learn how to manage their own needs in preparation for starting school.
• Children receive lots of time to develop their physical skills in the spacious outdoor area. For example, they practise riding on wheeled toys, kicking footballs and balancing on stepping stones. However, there are fewer opportunities for staff to support children to develop their skills across the other areas of learning. This does not fully enable staff to provide a broader curriculum for children when they are playing outside.
• Parents access an app to receive information about their children's learning and daily routines. The nursery hosts parents' evenings to update parents about their children's progress. Leaders work with local family hubs to signpost families to services and support that they may benefit from accessing. Parents say that they appreciate the support that they receive from the nursery staff, for example, with potty training their children.
• Leaders and staff evaluate their practice and aim to make continual improvements. For instance, they recently reviewed and improved home-time procedures to further support children's emotional well-being. Leaders plan to continue to develop the outdoor area. They have put in place a continuous programme of training and development for staff. Consequently, staff's skills and knowledge continue to improve over time. This, in turn, leads to positive learning experiences for children to support their ongoing development.
• The provider did not inform Ofsted about a notifiable event. This was an oversight, and all other aspects of leadership and management are good. The provider has notified Ofsted of other recent significant events and now has a good understanding of notifications to Ofsted. There is no impact on the safety and care of children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to understand how to adapt activities and experiences to further extend and challenge children's learning as they play
• continue to enhance and improve the outdoor area to broaden children's experiences across the areas of learning when playing outside.