Tiddlywinks Kiddies Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a warm, welcoming environment for children and their parents. Children demonstrate that they feel happy and secure as they enter their rooms. Staff and leaders throughout the nursery know each child well. It is clear children feel safe and secure as they confidently approach staff and visitors and snuggle down at sleep time with their key worker sitting by their side.

The setting implements a well-planned and ambitious curriculum. Leaders consult with staff in each room to decide what is important for the children to learn. Staff collaborate effectively to meet each child's individual learning needs. They ensure that children's learning continues at home by giving parents advice and support. As a result, all children make good progress in their learning and development. Additional funding is used very well and is targeted towards individual children's needs to support them to make progress. For example, specialist equipment has been purchased that allows children to acknowledge and regulate their own emotions.

Staff use effective behaviour management strategies, including promoting children's positive behaviour and supporting the individual needs of the children. They provide clear explanations when children face conflict, and this supports them to understand what is expected of their behaviour. Consequently, children behave well and display positive attitudes to learning.

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

• Leaders plan a curriculum that includes meaningful experiences across all areas of learning. The curriculum is sequenced throughout the nursery to ensure children are ready for their next transition. The staff team work very well together, suggesting ideas and talking about the areas of the curriculum they teach. As a result, staff are enthusiastic, and teaching of the curriculum improves continually.
• Children have many opportunities to develop their physical skills. They negotiate obstacles and uneven surfaces as they skilfully ride tricycles in the garden. Children develop their fine-motor skills, when they explore play dough and make marks on different materials. Babies develop their hand-eye coordination by picking up instruments, shaking them and listening to the sounds they make. Occasionally, staff in the baby room do not organise resources well. They do not ensure the indoor floor space is free from clutter. This means babies cannot always practise their crawling and walking skills when indoors.
• Older children take part in large- and small-group activities throughout the day. Overall, most routines run smoothly during the day. However, during some group times, noise levels increase and children find it hard to listen, hear and concentrate on the valuable learning experience.
• Children's personal development is given high priority. They have lots of opportunities to develop their independence skills. For example, older children take off their coats and hang them up when they arrive. Younger children attempt to put on their coats before going outside. Staff encourage children to wipe their own noses and wash their hands.
• Staff working with babies provide a narrative for them as they explore, modelling sounds and words, and playing peekaboo with babies. As a result, babies babble and vocalise as they explore their environments.
• The teaching of the fundamental British values of diversity and equality is strong at this inclusive setting. Children learn about equality, diversity, and inclusion through books, planned activities and experiences. This helps children to learn about their similarities and differences in enjoyable and meaningful ways.
• Staff recognise how to deploy themselves so that children's learning is enhanced in the different play areas indoors and outside. Staff join in with children's play and skilfully enhance their learning, particularly to support children's language development. They constantly praise children for their achievements, which supports their confidence and self-esteem.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents are full of praise for the nursery, saying their children have 'thrived' since attending. Leaders consider ways to support parents to be involved in their child's learning, such as organising parents' evenings and events. They use these opportunities well to help parents understand what their children are learning.
• Leaders are reflective of their practice. They regularly arrange continuous professional development opportunities for all staff. Leaders give staff well-being a high priority. They regularly check in with staff through supervision and daily conversations. Staff report their workload is well managed as leaders support them with time to complete tasks.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the organisation of the baby room to provide clear floor spaces that allow babies to move about freely
• review the planning of small-group times to reduce noise levels and support children to be able to listen, concentrate and take part.