Tiddlywinks Day Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a curriculum that promotes children's communication and language development. They support children's language skills by building on what children know and can do. Staff encourage children to match words to body parts. For example, as children wash the dolls, staff encourage vocabulary such as 'nose' and 'eyebrows'. Babies eagerly find their own body parts and repeat the words. Older children explore flowers and learn about 'petals' and 'pollen'. This broadens children's ever-growing vocabulary. Staff read with animation and enthusiasm. Children show a positive attitude towards their learning. Younger children explore the front cover of a story and discuss their ideas on what they can see. They learn about different authors, such as Jill Murphy, and explore the authors' books. Older children smile as they join in with a singing activity. Staff offer children opportunities to choose a song to sing. This supports children's decision-making skills. Children join in with the actions and words as they sing. Children make good progress in their development and show a love for books and rhymes.

Staff provide a warm and welcoming environment and build positive relationships with children. Staff recognise when children are upset and offer cuddles for reassurance. This helps children to feel safe. Staff are good role models. They support children to understand the key boundaries of the setting. For example, they remind children of how to hold scissors to ensure they keep themselves safe. Children show good turn-taking skills and help to tidy up their resources. Children are kind and respectful individuals.

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

• Staff prioritise supporting children's personal, social and emotional well-being. They provide focused activities to support children's good mental health. For example, children move their bodies in a variety of ways during yoga and dance classes. Older children practise their yoga positions. Younger children express themselves as they dance pretending to be different animals. This helps children to develop their core muscles and strengthen skills such as balance and dexterity.
• Staff plan opportunities that expose children to new concepts beyond their own experiences. Children learn about artists from around the world, such as Wassily Kandinsky. Furthermore, staff provide children with outings to the local art gallery, where children see where their artwork is displayed. In addition, children have opportunities to learn about how to care for living animals, such as their nursery tortoise. These opportunities enhance children's understanding of the world around them.
• Staff identify the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) by using assessments. They put targeted interventions in place to support children's individual needs. Staff work in partnership with professionals such as outreach workers and physiotherapists to support the individual needs of children. Furthermore, additional funding is used appropriately to help children to make progress towards their goals. The provision for children with SEND is good.
• Overall, staff promote children's good health. They provide opportunities for children to learn about good oral health and the importance of exercise in the curriculum. However, good hygiene habits, such as handwashing and the messages around hygiene, are not always consistently promoted. For example, sometimes, staff and children do not wash their hands after wiping noses. This means children are not always developing an understanding of their own good health.
• The curriculum is well sequenced to support children to build on what they know and can do. Staff recognise that children need to master their fine motor skills before being confident to use a pair of scissors. Children show good levels of concentration as they develop their hand muscles by squeezing and rolling dough, threading cotton reels and snipping flowers. These opportunities help children to make continuous progress towards their next steps in learning.
• Partnerships with parents are strong and promote a continuity in learning for children. Staff ensure there are opportunities for parents to feel involved in their children's learning, for example at stay-and-play sessions. Furthermore, staff have provided first-aid training for parents to attend. Parents receive regular discussions on their child's next steps in learning. This keeps parents up to date on their child's development.
• Leaders provide staff with bespoke coaching and mentoring to extend their professional development. Staff have a passion for improving outcomes for children and keep up to date with training. Recent training has focused on helping staff to further their understanding of choking and safer foods. This has strengthened staff's understanding of keeping children safe during mealtimes.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consistently implement good hygiene procedures and support children to understand the importance of good, healthy handwashing habits.