Tiddley Tots Daycare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are warmly welcomed into the nursery and are excited to see their key person and friends. The staff provide an organised and cosy environment and help children to settle and engage quickly. They have planned activities for their day and know what they would like the children to learn.

Staff are good role models; they engage in conversation and encourage children to have pride in their achievements. They are nurturing and listen to children. They sing good morning to each child and ask them how they are. They know them well and are developing an understanding of how to support children's emotional regulation. Staff lead engaging singing sessions, which help children to build a wonderful repertoire of songs, babies join in enthusiastically and are developing good listening skills. Staff encourage them to make choices and communicate what they would like to sing, they finish the words in the song and are excited to choose from the bag, taking turns and waiting, they are making good progress.

Children are curious and staff help them to explore by following their interests. In the garden, they engage in water play, hunt for snails and create a little zoo for them, they dig in the soil and enjoy planting. Children use their own ideas and are motivated to learn.

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

• Children concentrate well during planned focus activities and maintain attention for good periods of time. They demonstrate good fine motor control with different play dough tools, painting activities and threading. They use their own ideas as they create different sea creatures out of play dough, adding small sequins with ease.
• Key persons know what their children's strengths are and are identifying where there may be gaps in their development, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff work alongside other professionals to set targets, they share children's progress with parents and plan exciting themes to support their learning and track their development.
• Children are cooperative and have developed friendships. They work together to build a large train track, joining the pieces and adding sections to make it even bigger. When the train track is broken, they fix it and keep going.
• Children are confident communicators and initiate conversation, they speak clearly and all children, including those who speak English as an additional language, learn new vocabulary quickly. They enjoy spontaneous conversation with their peers and can express themselves and ask for help. Children enjoy selecting and sharing stories and are developing a love of reading.
• All children are developing independence and take part in their daily routines, washing their hands and getting their coats ready for outdoor play. Children serve themselves lunch and and chop cucumber for their snack.
• Children enjoy a spacious and well-equipped garden space and have plenty of opportunity to be outside and explore freely. They practise their physical skills on a variety of climbing equipment and bikes. They demonstrate good balance, control and coordination and staff understand the importance for this in order to promote healthy lifestyles and physical skills.
• Parent partnerships are strong and communication with parents is a priority. They receive regular updates on the parent app, alongside helpful newsletters about the curriculum and what children are learning. Parents speak highly of the nursery and explain how well their children have settled and the good relationships they have with the staff.
• Leaders and managers are passionate about ensuring all children have the best possible outcomes. The manager identifies the strengths of the nursery and is constantly reflecting and improving the setting. Ambitious tasks for fundraising and working with the community are set and they have a good vision for the setting and what they would like children to achieve by the time they leave.
• Staff benefit from supportive and understanding leaders and managers who plan regular training, meetings and supervisions. However, this needs more focus and regular monitoring to ensure there is a positive impact on how the staff manage children's behaviour.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's skills further and focus on strategies that will help them to enhance their interactions and support children's behaviour more effectively, especially during child-led play.