Tiny Treasures

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show they feel safe and thrive in the care of the passionate staff team. They are motivated to learn and immediately engage in the environment filled with areas of interest. For example, children play with the small-world airport and act out their holiday experiences, while staff help them find the holiday destinations on the world map. Children show high levels of enthusiasm as they excitedly talk about where they have been or where they are going.

Children show positive attitudes towards their learning through high levels of concentration and enjoyment in their play. Younger children in the baby room are given lots of sensory experiences to encourage early communication. For example, while babies explore dried cereals, staff use words such as 'crunch' and 'stomp'. The babies respond to by attempting to repeat the words in their play.

Children are developing a love for stories. They have access to a range of books inside and outside. Staff read to children at request and with great enthusiasm. Children develop skills for starting school. For example, older children are encouraged to take part in listening games to develop their listening skills. Children engage with excitement throughout, eager to recognise the next noise first.

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

• Managers and staff have high expectations of children. They provide them with interesting opportunities to develop their curiosity and enhance their learning. For instance, children show interest in the weights of different-sized blocks. Staff used this interest to introduce weighing scales, encouraging children to test out their theories of which blocks are heavier or lighter.
• Overall, staff have a strong understanding of how children learn. When introducing written numbers to children, staff use visual aids to support them, for instance by holding up the corresponding number of fingers.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities achieve the best possible outcomes. Referrals for additional support are swift. The special educational needs and disabilities coordinator goes above and beyond to implement targeted support to ensure children's needs are met. While waiting for external agencies to respond, strategies are implemented to ensure progress is made. Any additional funding that children are entitled to is carefully used to have the biggest impact.
• Managers and staff are good role models and have high expectations for children's conduct. Children behave very well. They know how to share and take turns when playing. Staff praise children regularly for their good behaviour. This helps to boost children's confidence and helps them learn how to share and be kind to others.
• Managers and staff value and promote equality and diversity throughout the nursery. Staff have daily discussions to embed understanding of the differences and similarities between all children and staff at nursery. This helps children understand what makes them unique.
• Managers have a clear and ambitious curriculum vision for providing high-quality education to all children. However, this is not yet fully embedded and consistent throughout the nursery. For instance, not all staff consider what it is that children need to learn next during activities. Consequently, not all learning opportunities build on children's prior knowledge.
• There is a focus on building strong relationships among the staff team and supporting their well-being. All practitioners share their individual experience of the personalised support they have received from the management, showing an inclusive approach to staff supervision. This ensures staff feel valued and supported, which in turn has a positive impact on children.
• Overall, partnership working is strong. Parents report that their children's experiences in the nursery are entirely positive. They comment on the 'the amazing staff' and 'all the learning that takes place'. However, the arrangements for extending children's learning at home are not yet embedded. This hinders continuity of care and learning for children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• engage further with families and support them to extend their children's learning at home
• support staff to focus sharply on what children need to learn next within activities.