Tiny Steps Community Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy themselves at this vibrant nursery. Staff are warm and welcoming. Children leave their parents with ease and eagerly enter to join their friends. Children know to hang their coats up and put their water bottles away. As a result, they are learning to care for their belongings and environment.

Children delight in participating in daily dance routines to help prepare them to focus on learning. Staff join in and are good role models. They explain the benefits of exercise and talk to the children about their beating hearts as they cool down. Staff gently implement the rules and boundaries of the nursery, such as walking feet, small voices, and sharing is caring. Staff cleverly chant the rules out loud, leaving the last word blank for children to answer. This helps to embed children's understanding of the rules. Consequently, children show respect for each other and behave well.

Staff provide a range of activities that motivate children to learn and play. Children confidently move around the nursery engaging in activities. They show a very positive attitude towards learning. This prepares all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), well for their future learning. The manager has a clear understanding of what she wants children to achieve while at nursery. When the time comes for children to move to school, she invites teachers in and shares assessment information. This facilitates a smooth transition to school and ensures ongoing support is in place.

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

• The manager is approachable, and staff say they feel well supported in their roles. The manager can identify the main strengths and weaknesses of planned activities. However, she does not recognise the impact of the volume of the staff's voices on teaching. Some staff are quite loud, while others are quiet. This affects how well children can hear. This means some children are distracted and do not fully focus on what is being asked of them.
• Children enjoy daily outdoor play. Staff plan interesting activities that focus on the children's interests and next steps. Children excitedly rush to play with the many activities in the garden area. They work in pairs to pedal tandem bicycles and balance on rubber tyres. However, some children struggle to access what they would like to play with. For example, staff arrange sliced lemons and tweezers in a small, deep bucket of water. Some children find it hard to reach over the bucket or do not have enough space to join in. As a result, they lose interest and move away. This means they do not participate in this learning experience.
• Children are learning how to care for themselves, and they have lots of opportunities to practise their independence. For example, at snack time, they use knives to butter their crackers and crumpets. They also help to wash up the plates and cutlery. Staff praise and encourage perseverance. Children are confident to ask for support when they need it. Children relish the sense of achievement when they complete tricky tasks. Consequently, children are building high self-esteem.
• Staff make very good use of songs to embed routines and encourage children to practise speaking. During circle time, children sit nicely and listen. They have the opportunity to speak in front of small groups. Each child has time to speak. This helps to improve children's confidence. They sing about the days of the week, months of the year, and the welcome song. As a result, children are exposed to new words, rhythm, and knowledge.
• Staff provide effective support for children's emotional development. New children to the nursery approach staff for cuddles and reassurance. Staff respond with warmth and kindness. Children settle quickly and early connections are made. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in their care.
• Staff support children with SEND very well. The special educational needs coordinator uses her expertise to implement the early and ongoing support children might need. She has designed calming sensory areas that allow children the space and time they need to learn. Parents say they feel well supported and informed of the progress their children are making. Regular face-to-face parents' meetings help to build effective relationships that support the children's development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to identify when the noise level within the room impacts on children's ability to concentrate
• improve the planning and organisation of some activities so that all children can easily participate.