Tic Tots Day Nursery & Creche

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter the nursery with high energy. They beam with delight when they see their friends and greet staff with hugs. Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this welcoming nursery. They are happy, safe and have a strong sense of belonging. Children develop good levels of independence. They help to tidy toys away, put their coats on and help to serve food at mealtimes. Children develop the necessary skills in readiness for their move on to school.

Staff support children's creativity very well. Children are fascinated while dancing and singing. They enjoy yoga lessons and learn how to meditate. Younger children splash in water and giggle with delight while playing musical instruments. Babies smile while playing with cause-and-effect toys. They spend time looking at their reflections in low-level mirrors. Older children create their own stories. They complete puzzles and make robots out of creative materials. Children show good levels of perseverance and are keen to take on new challenges. For example, they confidently learn how to use climbing apparatus.

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

• Leaders have a clear vision for achieving the best of outcomes for children, staff and parents. They lead with passion and determination. Improvement plans are accurate and leaders aspire for the nursery to be outstanding.
• Overall, leaders provide children with an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum. This is built on research, child development and what leaders know about children. However, not all staff working with babies fully understand the intent of the curriculum. This means that activities are not well matched to children's interests or current levels of development. For example, some staff expect babies to count to five and to understand the names of shapes. This means that some babies lose interest in their learning.
• The support in place for children with special educational needs/and or disabilities (SEND) is excellent. Leaders are relentless in their pursuit of removing barriers to learning. Links with external professionals are robust. Children with SEND flourish and make good progress.
• In the main, children behave well and show positive attitudes towards their learning. However, some staff are not consistent in helping older children to learn how to regulate their feelings and emotions. This means that, on occasion when some older children become frustrated, staff do not respond well enough to support children in managing their behaviour.
• Partnership working is a golden thread of the nursery. Links with parents are excellent and they report that the nursery is 'a hidden gem'. Staff provide parents with updates about their children's time at the nursery and attend special events. For example, leaders hold events for parents to learn about subjects, such as autism spectrum disorder. Links with the local authority and other childcare professionals are good. This helps children to achieve well.
• Leaders give staff well-being high priority. Staff attend supervision sessions and appraisal meetings. Leaders acknowledge that they would like to strengthen the coaching arrangements for staff. For example, they would like to provide staff with more feedback about their interactions with children, to help raise their practice to a consistently high level.
• The support in place for children who speak English as an additional language is good. Leaders ensure that children have external support from speech specialists. They share communication plans with parents and teach them sign language to use at home with their children. This means that children gain a good command of English and are confident communicators.
• Care practices are good. Children gain a good awareness of healthy living. For example, staff teach them about good oral health. Children understand the importance of brushing their teeth and visiting the dentist. Staff follow good hygiene practices and talk to children about healthy eating. Children discuss where food comes from and how vegetables are grown.
• Leaders support children's physical development well. They ensure that children have access to a well-equipped outdoor play area. Children relish daily walks with staff. Older children delight in opportunities to go swimming. Younger children enjoy using a slide and babies show good perseverance while pulling themselves up onto low-level furniture.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• better support staff who work with babies, to understand what leaders intend children to learn
• support staff to have a better understanding of how to help older children to regulate their own feelings and emotions
• refine coaching systems, to help raise staff practice to a consistently high level.