TippyToes Stantonbury Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily and enjoy coming to this warm, welcoming nursery. They explore all areas of the stimulating and well-organised environment. Children benefit from a range of activities that appeal to their age and stage of development. For example, pre-school children use china cups, metal teapots and props in the imaginative play area. They re-enact their experiences from home and learn to take care of resources.

Babies spend time exploring oats. They pick the resources up and enjoy the sensation of them trickling through their fingers. Toddlers enjoy discovering toy sea creatures in ice and are learning about the world. For example, staff teach them how crabs and lobsters both have hard shells, as well as sharp claws. Older children develop their small muscles as they add cinnamon to their play dough and knead it in. They smell the play dough and talk about 'gingerbread men', using their senses to make links and build on what they already know.

Children have many opportunities to build on their learning outside and to develop healthy lifestyles. They relish the healthy meals cooked on site and eagerly use the extensive, well-planned outside area. Children build on prior learning from inside in the new woodland area. For example, older toddlers enjoy making pretend ice-creams outside with dough, with a range of resources they use as toppings. Their friends enjoy transporting rice by filling and emptying large containers, and explore the texture through their hands. Children are confident, polite and behave well.

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

• The dedicated manager, who is also the provider, is highly skilled and has high expectations. She has designed an ambitious curriculum with a strong focus on supporting children's independence and developing communication and language skills. She leads the nursery with enthusiasm and fosters a climate of supporting staff well-being. Staff say they feel very well supported.
• Staff are warm and caring to children. All children have a key person. Staff have completed training on the key-person approach. They understand the importance of this role in helping children build attachments and feel safe and secure. Staff know their key children well and implement strategies that help them reach their full potential. This allows all children to thrive and make good progress.
• All children behave well and become pleased with their own achievements. They begin following simple and more complex instructions and have a clear, embedded routine. Staff are good role models and use plenty of positive reinforcement and praise to manage children's behaviour.
• Children who speak English as an additional language are supported well. For example, parents share common key words in their home language. In addition, children have access to books in their home languages and staff are learning British Sign Language, to further support children's language development.
• Staff prioritise opportunities to develop children's communication and language. They model language well and children enjoy snuggling up with staff and listening to them read stories animatedly. They introduce a wealth of new vocabulary to children when undertaking planned activities, such as 'squeeze', 'melt' and 'freeze'. However, staff do not always use questioning effectively and capture opportunities to extend children's learning when they arise.
• Staff actively seek support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They have detailed knowledge of the very specific needs of each child. Staff work closely with parents, the local authority and a range of outside agencies to agree and constantly update individual care plans. All children, including children with SEND, make good progress from their starting points.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents leave comments about the 'warm and welcoming nursery,' with one parent saying, 'we are proud for our daughter to attend TippyToes.' The manager seeks parents' views on a regular basis and uses these to make changes and improve. For example, parents say they like the re-introduction of the stay-and-play sessions.
• The manager undertakes regular supervision and observation of staff. However, she recognises there is still scope for continuous professional development opportunities to focus more precisely on raising the quality of teaching to the highest level.
• Children learn to manage their self-care needs with confidence. Younger children are learning how to hold cutlery properly, and to blow their noses and dispose of tissues hygienically. Older children address their toilet needs well and wash their hands independently.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• allow children time to process their thinking and respond to adults
• refine the professional development programme for staff to improve the quality of teaching to the highest level.