The Oval Childcare Ltd.

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders have taken significant steps to review and strengthen the care and learning the nursery provides. Children play happily in this inclusive and welcoming setting and are supported well by the caring and attentive staff team. Babies show strong connections, for example when they crawl to familiar staff and lay their head on their lap. Older children confidently approach staff to share their ideas and achievements, responding with big smiles to the praise they receive. This shows that children feel safe and secure in the nursery.

The curriculum is ambitious for all children. Staff have clear aims for what they want children to learn and check on the progress that they make. They play alongside children, encouraging them to think and develop their ideas. This helps children to build on what they know and can do. Babies learn new words and join in simple actions while staff sing. Older children develop their imaginative skills, for example when pretending to make cupcakes in the play kitchen. Staff give children plenty of opportunities to make choices. They take account of children's interests when planning activities. This helps to motivate children to join in. They are active and eager learners. Overall, the curriculum supports children to achieve well and to develop a love of learning.

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

• Good arrangements for staff development, support and supervision help to build on the quality of education. For example, staff have strengthened their understanding of how to support children's mathematical learning. They weave numbers, counting and measurement into daily routines and activities. Staff help children to count ingredients during pretend cooking and to compare the size and shape of blocks while building. This helps children to deepen their understanding of early mathematics.
• Children develop strong literacy skills. The curriculum centres around carefully chosen 'books of the term'. Staff help children to explore the theme, structure and language of a range of different texts. Children give meaning to the marks they make, for example when they write down orders for food in the play café. These rich, planned experiences during play help to strengthen their early reading and writing skills.
• Staff plan some activities to help children to develop their physical skills. For example, rolling and squeezing dough helps children to strengthen their hand muscles. However, staff do not consistently model certain skills, such as using scissors correctly or managing utensils at mealtimes. The organisation of activities for babies is often at floor level, which prevents them from practising standing.
• Staff encourage children to think about others and stay safe during activities. For example, when building towers, staff guide children to be careful and mindful of their surroundings. Children develop confidence and independence as they take part in daily routines. They learn about ways to stay healthy through activities such as toothbrushing and handwashing. These experiences help children to build self-care skills and a sense of responsibility.
• Consistent routines and clear expectations from staff support children's behaviour well. Children respond to staff's guidance and follow instructions, which contributes to a calm and positive learning environment. Staff model kindness and respect, and children develop consideration for others. For example, they remind their friends that 'sharing is caring'.
• The support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is strong. Staff have a secure understanding of each child's particular needs and meet these well. They adapt activities and develop spaces to support children. For example, staff create a quiet area where children can take time out and work through their feelings. This ensures that all children in the nursery benefit from the curriculum and are helped to make the progress that they are capable of.
• Leaders show a strong commitment to building on the quality of care and learning that the nursery provides. For example, significant changes to the indoor environments have led to more opportunities for children to make choices and lead their own play safely and independently. There are now plans to enhance the garden area to better support children who prefer to learn outdoors. Currently, children's opportunities to play and learn outside are limited.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide consistent opportunities for all children to develop and practise a range of physical skills to help them strengthen their individual abilities, control and confidence
• further develop the outdoor space to provide more high-quality learning experiences that better meet the needs of children who prefer to be outside.