Tiny Tots Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children and their parents are warmly welcomed at this very friendly setting. Children settle incredibly quickly, eager to explore the range of activities set up for them. Adults provide an attractive environment for children of all ages. Younger children especially enjoy settling down on an adult's lap for a story in the cosy book area. Children delight in joining in with rhymes and songs. They immediately respond when the bell is rung for circle time, joining in excitedly with the actions. Adults provide meaningful opportunities for children to develop their communication and language skills. They create a spider hunting area outside and provide children with new words such as 'tarantula' when talking about what they might find.

Older children develop key skills to help them get ready for the next stage of their learning. They proudly share that they have written their names and adults celebrate their achievements with them. Children have very good relationships with each other. Younger children play exceptionally well, setting up the dinner table in the playhouse together. Older children become engrossed when playing with a small-world castle together, placing the different characters inside and sharing the pieces. Adults show genuine interest in children, demonstrating love and care and encouraging them. This develops children's growing confidence and self-esteem.

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

• Children demonstrate positive behaviours towards each other. For example, younger children save places for their friends at circle time. Older children listen and wait their turn during 'Tizzy Time'. This demonstrates their respect for each other and adults. Adults praise children regularly and this delights them. For example, children beamed when an adult exclaimed 'that is amazing!' about their model.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the progress their children have made in reading, writing, counting and confidence. They talk about the homely vibe of the setting; how flexible it is and how integral it is to the local community. They report that their children 'talk nonstop' about their experiences at the setting and that they 'adore' attending. They particularly reference the support they receive to help their children prepare for school.
• Adults are good role models overall. They encourage and support children, building on their interests and ideas. For example, helping children to manage the paper when using scissors to cut. Adults provide a range of arts and crafts for children to develop their creative skills, and these are displayed throughout the setting. Children are keen to use the stampers and paint to make Valentines cards for their families.
• Leaders and managers are passionate about young children's learning. They are proud of their practice and proactive in seeking support to develop the provision even further. For example, accessing a range of training and initiatives to help young children learn best. They attend regular network meetings with local settings and schools to share practice. They use additional funding to purchase specialist equipment, such as a three-person bike to support children's physical skills outside.
• Adults speak very highly of the support they receive from the manager and each other. They report that they feel like a 'family'. They talk of the regular opportunities to share ideas to develop their practice and provision. They report that, 'children are at the heart of what we do'. They are keen to develop their knowledge and skills even further, taking on additional training and qualifications to ensure they are continually providing the best that they can.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Adults provide a lending library for families, to support the sharing of books at home. They have undertaken 'Talk Boost' training to support children's language and communication skills and children are making good progress.
• Adults provide an environment which celebrates children's individuality, for example children come in wearing different character costumes and this is celebrated by adults. However, adults do not currently make the most of opportunities to best support all children's understanding of other cultures and to gain a wider understanding of the world around them.
• Children know the routines of the setting very well. They respond immediately to requests from adults and are provided with opportunities to support their own self care skills. For example, a water station and tissues are provided for children to have a drink and blow their own noses. However, at times, such as mealtimes, adults do things for children that they could do themselves such as pouring their own drinks, opening their own lunchboxes and cutting up their snacks.
• Staff ratios are maintained and staff deployment means that staff working with younger children are on hand to interact and support learning. They have consistently high quality interactions with adults. However, due to the layout of the building and the desire to utilise all of the space available, the deployment of staff with older children means that at times, older children have less support from staff to consistently extend their play and learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• reflect on the deployment of adults to provide more support for older children and for those preparing to go to school
• enhance the sharing and celebration of children's home languages and cultures to widen all children's experiences.
• strengthen opportunities for children to be more independent, encouraging children to consistently do things for themselves that they can.