Tiny Treasures

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy at the setting and benefit from secure attachments with staff. Key persons have a good knowledge of children's starting points and readily plan for their next steps in learning. Staff provide children with a rich narrative. They listen to children and respond with enthusiasm. Children and babies play with toys and resources that reflect their interests very well. There are lots of opportunities provided by staff, both indoors and outside. The managers, leaders and staff want all children to make progress. They support them to overcome barriers to learning and ensure all children feel included. Children with special educational needs (SEND) are offered an inclusive service.

Children make informed and independent choices. For example, they choose their snack and sit at the corresponding table where their choice is served. Two- and three-year-old children have a good understanding of their self-care and hygiene needs. For example, children are able to change from their indoor shoes to outdoor shoes and put on their coats swiftly and efficiently. Children are aware of the expectations staff have for their behaviour. Staff reinforce positive behaviour and children respond quickly to instructions.

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

• Staff have a clear understanding of children's starting points and developmental needs, and use these to plan for children's next steps. The managers and staff are committed to ensuring that children with SEND receive the very best possible support at the earliest opportunity. Managers work closely with staff and external agencies to implement support to families.
• Children benefit from meaningful learning. Staff plan the environment and available activities well to provide opportunities for children to revisit their learning. For example, following on from reading stories linked to the Halloween theme, staff encourage children to recall new words they have discovered, such as potion, swoosh and witch. Children are heard repeating these words during different activities throughout the day, demonstrating excellent communication and language skills.
• Staff plan a range of exciting activities which children are encouraged to engage with. Children are aware of expectations. This is reflected positively in children's behaviour and conduct. Children have a clear understanding of behaviours expected and how negative behaviours can have an impact on others.
• Partnership working with parents is good. Parents speak positively about the nursery setting and the support they receive. They comment on how the staff and managers made adjustments for parents, especially during the COVID-1 pandemic. For example, staff supported parents by providing additional settling-in sessions for children. They also ensured parents felt reassured during this anxious time. This helped in supporting children with their personal, social and emotional well-being. Staff communicate to parents about their children's development through an online communication tool. Parents are able to respond to comments about their child's development and share observations from home.
• Overall, managers are committed to the success of the nursery and provision for the children who attend. This has resulted in the managers taking on different roles to support and develop the nursery, staff team and different curriculum areas. However, these roles are not clearly defined to enable the leadership team to work together as efficiently as possible. For example, supervision of staff is not always completed regularly and some staff are not always clear on all areas of the curriculum intent.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• streamline leadership and management so that those in charge have more clear and defined roles that helps to create a more cohesive team and ensures the vision for the nursery and curriculum intent is further well embedded within the staff team
• strengthen arrangements for the supervision of staff, that provides more regular and timely support, to help drive the quality of education even further and provide a clear vision for the staff.