The Little Garden Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at this welcoming setting excited and ready to learn. They greet staff warmly and display strong emotional well-being. Babies show positive relationships with key staff, raising their arms for a cuddle as they arrive. Toddlers and pre-school children bound into the room and are full of energy from the start. All children love to take part in music and movement sessions. For instance, children enjoy singing familiar songs as staff play the guitar. Children come and explore the guitar, plucking the strings to see what sounds they can create.

Staff skilfully support children to manage their feelings and emotions. Staff ask children how they are feeling. Children explain about feeling 'happy', 'sad', or 'excited'. They give thanks for what they are grateful for before lunch. This helps children to recognise their feelings and behaviours, and to develop empathy for others. Staff plan interesting and inspiring challenges and experiences for children. Children create 'bridges' for pretend dinosaurs to cross the river by trying different techniques and equipment. Staff challenge them to think deeper and problem solve using questions, such as 'what do you think will happen?' and 'what shall we do to change it?' As a result, children develop active imaginations.

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

• Leaders know their local community well. They plan opportunities to widen children's life experiences. Staff take children on regular visits to places in the local community, such as to local shops and parks. Children have free-flow access to the outdoors, as well as regular access to forest-school sessions. They spend time gaining awe and wonder of the nature around them.
• The curriculum for mathematics is strong. Staff model mathematical language as children play with sand and water. They explain concepts, such as 'more' and 'less', and 'empty' and 'full'. Older children solve simple mathematical equations. They calculate how many more sticks they need to create their house.
• Leaders have a clear intent for what they would like children to achieve through the curriculum for communication and language. Staff provide new vocabulary in their interactions with children and build on what they already know. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported with a range of different strategies. These help all children to make good progress. For example, a bilingual member of staff supports children to develop their spoken English as they play.
• Children develop their independence and like to take responsibility for small tasks. For example, they put on their shoes and prepare their snack. Children know the boundaries that they must follow when playing outdoors. They gain the skills which they need to move on to the next stage of their learning or school.
• Parents are complimentary about the nursery. Partnerships are effective and parents are kept informed of their children's progress, including information on how to support their children's learning at home. This helps to provide consistency of care and learning for children.
• Staff plan a range of interesting and purposeful adult-led and child-initiated play experiences for children, indoors and outdoors. Children become engrossed in some activities. For example, they explore the water beads in the outdoor kitchen and wash the dolls in the water tray. However, on occasion, staff are not always deployed effectively enough. There are times when some staff do not consider where they would best be positioned to support children's learning further.
• Snack and mealtimes are relaxed occasions. Staff encourage children's social skills and engage them in conversations. However, staff do not consistently talk to children about what they are eating and the importance of making healthy food choices and leading a healthy lifestyle.
• Leaders are effective in supporting staff in their roles by carrying out regular meetings. They discuss staff's development, training requirements and wishes. Leaders work hard to reflect on practice, and make changes and improvements to the setting when necessary.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the deployment of staff to ensure that they engage more fully with children and seize every opportunity to support their learning as much as possible
• promote children's good health even more effectively, by teaching them about the benefits of healthy foods, for example.