TicTots Day Nursery & Creche

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children feel safe and secure in the calm and nurturing environment. They involve themselves in a good range of interesting and purposeful activities. Children share resources and play well together. For example, toddlers enjoy building with construction materials and pre-school children engage in imaginative role play using fire engines. Babies enjoy sensory experiences. They look at books and play with bricks and other sensory toys. Staff maintain good eye contact and facial expression. They engage children in lots of meaningful conversations to support early language and communication.

Children are confident learners and behave well. They proudly display their artwork and respond with broad smiles to the continuous praise and encouragement they receive. Children enjoy being creative and learn to handle tools with care and precision. For example, while designing a Christmas jumper on card, children colour it in and decorate it with different sparkling materials. Children learn to make choices and decisions and do this with the utmost confidence. For instance, during calming and relaxation sessions, they choose which book they would like to listen to by voting. Children count the votes together and share the result. This helps children to understand democracy and how to decide things fairly.

Partnership with parents is good. Staff share information with parents about their children's learning and involve them in activities that can be enjoyed at home. Parents are keen to show their appreciation of the staff and all they do for their children. Staff also work with other professionals to ensure children's needs are met.

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

• The manager and staff team focus well on making improvements. Since the last inspection, they have strengthened the implementation of the curriculum in the toddler outdoor play area. This area now provides opportunities to help further engage and excite children. The manager has undertaken additional safeguarding training to strengthen her understanding of her role and responsibilities. Furthermore, the child protection policy has been updated in line with local safeguarding children partnership guidance and procedures. Therefore, the previous recommendation and breaches have been rectified.
• The effectiveness of staff's teaching and practice is monitored well by the manager. Through regular supervision sessions and appraisals, staff receive appropriate support and professional development. Recent training in children's mental health and well-being is used effectively during group activities where children learn about their feelings and emotions.
• Staff foster children's independence well. They encourage children to complete tasks for themselves. For example, children set their own table space at lunchtime. They help themselves to a napkin and serve themselves their lunch. Children take ownership in this task and show great resilience and confidence in their skills. They are well prepared for their eventual move on to school. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children in receipt of additional funding have their needs met well.
• Staff use effective strategies to help promote positive behaviour. They encourage children to cooperate in routine activities by following simple and clear rules. Therefore, children know what is expected of them. Staff have a gentle approach and communicate respectively with children. Children respond positively and listen carefully to instructions. For example, they help tidy away toys and then eagerly sit down ready for carpet-time activities.
• Staff support most children to develop their vocabulary and language skills. They use age-appropriate teaching strategies to help children become confident communicators. For example, babies' vocalising is responded to by staff, and reading stories and singing songs are effectively used to help to develop early speech and language. Older children benefit from two-way conversations. Staff frequently ask questions and engage in meaningful discussions with children. However, some children who speak English as an additional language are not developing a good grasp of English language. In addition to this, the opportunity to develop and use their home language in their play and learning is not further explored.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the opportunities for children to develop and use their home language in their play and learning, and ensure that children have sufficient opportunities to learn and reach a good standard in English language.