Tiny Tots Academy

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive confidently, ready for an exciting day. They play freely and are able to make independent choices about the areas they wish to play in. Children enjoy playing in the home corner. They use play dough to make pancakes. Children demonstrate kindness and respect towards each other as they use 'please' and 'thank you' when asking their friends for objects to make their pancakes and the toppings. This shows the relationships which are formed, with the support and guidance from enthusiastic staff, who act as caring role models towards the children.

Children show confidence and self-motivation. For example, a group of children take it in turns to stand up in the 'cosy area' and create a 'made-up' story. They ask their friends for input, such as the character's name, or if they want the story to be scary or funny. Children speak freely to each other and demonstrate their positive experiences of being at nursery. Staff praise the children for their story, boosting their confidence and self-esteem, and children's pride from receiving praise is displayed on their faces.

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

• A positive and effective key-person system is in place. Staff work closely with parents throughout their children's time at the setting. This enables staff to meet all children's individual needs and further their development. Parents work closely with staff to ensure children develop in all areas. For example, they go with them when they take children for their weekly swimming lessons.
• Pre-school children are engaged in a science experiment, which consists of baking soda and vinegar. Staff interact with the children throughout and introduce new language constantly. For example, when a child drips the vinegar into the baking soda, staff tell the children that they are using a 'pipette'. Children repeat the word and continue to use it for the rest of the activity.
• When the older children are told that snack is ready, they show their independent knowledge of self-hygiene by going to wash their hands. They talk to each other as they do this, singing 'rub, rub, rubbing' as they rub soap into their hands. Children are aware of why they must wash their hands and have been shown how to do this efficiently by staff. However, this is not evident for the younger children. Even though they are capable of beginning to wash their hands for themselves, they have their hands washed for them without any explanation as to why this must happen.
• Staff are supported in following a detailed and ambitious curriculum that is created by leadership and management. They have regular supervision meetings, along with peer-on-peer observations. This enhances staff practice and knowledge of any changes that are made to the curriculum, and how they can bring this into their planning for future activities with the children.
• Younger children paint using toy dinosaurs. They use the dinosaurs' feet to make footprints on the paper, saying 'stomp' as they make marks. Children learn that the bigger the dinosaur is the bigger the footprints are. They look at and name the different coloured footprints they have created. Staff praise the children for recognising this and introduce different materials they can mark make with to develop their learning further. However, staff do not always recognise the learning intention for activities to ensure all children are fully engaged and get the very best from their learning.
• Leadership and management have developed close relationships with parents and carers. Parents and carers are encouraged to participate towards their child's learning. There is a 'star wall', where parents and carers can contribute future next steps. Parents and carers are invited to attend workshops held by the children to showcase the variety of celebrations they have been learning about, such as Diwali and Mother's Day.
• Throughout the day, children have a range of healthy meals on offer. They self-select from a mixed fruit bowl at snack time, discussing which fruit is their favourite. Children talk about food that is healthy and not healthy for them. Staff join in to encourage and teach children why we must eat healthy food. This helps to support the choices which children make and how they view the foods which they eat.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide children with activities that have purpose and intent, to allow them to develop to their full learning potential
• encourage staff to help younger children be more independent and carry out tasks for themselves.