Tiny Hearts Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a warm welcome from cheerful staff when they arrive at nursery. They arrive happy and motivated to begin their day. Children settle quickly and engage with the broad range of activities provided for them. They develop positive attachments with staff, due to their warm, sensitive and caring interactions. Staff build trusting relationships with parents. These secure relationships ensure that parents are kept well informed about their children's progress and development. For example, staff share children's learning journals. They outline what the children will be working on next and provide ideas to help parents to contribute to their child's learning at home.

Staff have high expectations and ambitions for all children. They develop a curriculum that is based on children's individual interests and what they already know and can do. For example, staff use children's interests in dinosaurs to help develop their balance and coordination as children are encouraged to stomp around the garden. Staff encourage children to access a lending library. Children take books home to read with their parents. This promotes a consistent approach to children's love of books and reading. Staff model positive behaviours as they encourage children to take turns, share and play cooperatively with others. They use a range of books, such as 'Supertato', to help children develop an understanding of their feelings and learn to manage their emotions. Children of all ages behave well.

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

• Leaders ensure that staff receive purposeful supervision and training. Recent training has included working with the local authority to develop stimulating environments to further develop the physical opportunities for younger children. Opportunities such as this help staff to build on their knowledge and skills over time.
• Children develop a love of reading. They erupt with laughter as they enjoy listening to their favourite story 'The Hairy Toe'. Staff use various tones and expression when reading. Children find this highly engaging. They listen intently and join in the storytelling. Staff help children to remember and recall the story. They use good questioning skills and encourage the children to recall memorable parts within the story. This helps to develop children's early literacy skills.
• There is a strong focus on an effective key-person system within the nursery. Staff know children well. They are aware of what children know and can do, and what they need to learn next. However, staff do not consistently use this knowledge effectively to enhance and support children's learning during periods of self-chosen play. This means that, on occasion, children's learning is not extended as precisely as possible.
• Staff provide high levels of support for children that need additional help. They put tailored plans in place to focus on any gaps in children's learning to help them to catch up. Staff work closely with parents and outside agencies, when appropriate, to help to ensure that children receive the support they need to make good progress.
• Staff skilfully incorporate mathematics through everyday experiences. For example, as children line up to go into the garden, staff encourage them to count the children in the line. Children learn how to use mathematics purposefully. They learn about different shapes. Children are helped to remember the properties of a cube, cylinder, or sphere as they explore solid shapes in the environment. Staff support children to develop a good grounding in early mathematics.
• Children learn about healthy lifestyles. They enjoy nutritious home-cooked food and find out about the foods that are good for them. Children develop good independence skills, such as washing their hands, helping themselves to drinks of water and clearing up their plates after lunch. As a result, children have a good understanding of making healthy choices.
• The provider has failed to notify Ofsted of a significant event, which is a requirement of their registration. The provider acknowledges this was an oversight and they are now fully aware of their duty to notify Ofsted in the future. This oversight does not have any impact on children's welfare.
• Parents speak highly of the setting. They comment that staff work closely with them to support children's progress. Parents highlight the dedication staff show in understanding their children and supporting them to make good progress. Staff communicate very well with parents and the partnerships they build are a particular strength of this setting.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop a more consistent approach to supporting children's next steps in learning.