Tiny Blessings Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy at this friendly nursery. Staff develop strong attachments with the children, which helps them to settle quickly and separate from their parents. Staff plan experiences for the children that consider their interests. Babies enjoy passing magnets from one hand to the other. They are fascinated as the magnets stick together and come apart. Staff build on these skills and start to build towers with the babies. This helps to develop their hand-eye coordination. Older children are attentive as they join in group time. They listen and concentrate as they take part in singing number songs. Staff interact well with the children and encourage them to sing about five little frogs. Children sing the songs and know the words well. This helps children to develop their language skills and to learn about decreasing numbers in a fun way.

Staff focus on children's behaviour and safety. They ensure that children do not run inside and comment about using 'kind hands and feet' to help children play nicely together. Children love playing outside, even in the rain. Staff remind the children about the ground being slippy. They encourage children to be careful as they splash and jump in puddles. Children develop their counting skills as staff encourage them to use magnifying glasses and count the legs of the minibeasts they find.

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

• The manager has developed a curriculum that reflects the needs of the children who attend the nursery. Staff focus on developing children's independence skills. This starts from an early age. For example, staff encourage babies and young children to wipe their hands and faces before and after having their lunch. Pre-school children serve their own food at mealtimes and clear their plates away. Staff help children to learn how to open their sandwich boxes and yoghurt pots.
• Staff know what children can already do and what they are interested in playing with. They provide opportunities that help children build on skills for future learning. For example, children use their fingers and thumbs to manipulate the play dough. This helps to strengthen their fingers in preparation for opening packets, doing up zips and early writing skills. However, some staff are not always clear about what new skills or knowledge they want children to gain from other experiences they deliver to help extend children's learning further.
• Overall, staff promote communication and language skills well. Staff working with babies and young children make eye contact and repeat words and phrases to help them extend their vocabulary. Staff hold conversations with pre-school children and introduce new words, such as 'conditioner'. However, some staff do not ask children questions in a way that will extend their speech and thinking skills. This results in children often nodding, shaking their heads or giving a one- word response.
• Partnership with parents is effective. Through daily discussions and parent consultations, staff share information about children's care and progress with the parents. Parents speak highly of the staff and the attention they give their children. They enjoy seeing what their children do throughout the day as they receive photos and comments from the staff.
• Staff are passionate about understanding and supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They work in partnership with parents and any other professionals involved. This joined-up approach helps children with SEND to make the best possible progress.
• Children have good opportunities to learn about the similarities and differences in people. For example, they learn about religions and cultures that are different to their own. Staff are positive role models for children and help them to share and take turns as they play.
• The manager regularly observes and evaluates the staff's teaching practice. She also provides individual meetings with staff where they can discuss any concerns and their developmental opportunities. This helps to ensure that staff's teaching practice is consistently good. Staff attend training to develop new ideas for children and increase their knowledge. Staff recently attended a course on using natural resources and loose parts. Staff say this has positively impacted on how they support children to explore resources and develop their curiosity.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's knowledge of the curriculum intent, so they are clear about what they want the children to learn from the experiences they deliver, to further extend children's learning
• strengthen staff's questioning techniques to support children to build on their thinking and speaking skills.