Toddler's Den

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are welcomed into the setting by warm and friendly staff. Those who need extra support are gently encouraged by patient adults who enable them to select which room they want to play in first. Older children immediately sit down for story time where they actively listen before responding to questions about the story. They are confident to show their artwork to new people and enjoy the positive reinforcement they receive from adults. Younger children are cuddled and sung to before staff take pride in celebrating their achievements. Interactions between staff and children are beautiful, as staff know their key children well. This shows that children feel emotionally secure in this nursery and have a strong sense of belonging.

The setting fosters a diverse and inclusive environment where all children are accepted. Adults have the same expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Adaptions to the environment ensure that children are extremely well supported and can participate in all aspects of the day. Multilingual staff offer additional avenues of communication, providing signing and flash cards to support language development. Management promote non-stereotypical play. For example, dressing-up clothes are accessible to all children, thus promoting a fully inclusive environment where children can flourish.

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

• Care and kindness are embedded throughout this setting. Young children thrive in the baby room where positive interactions are heart-warming to watch. Staff have built strong attachments with the children in their care and gently move them onto their next stage of learning. Activities include children's contributions of autumn resources and natural objects, such as leaves, brought in by their parents. In turn, children show high levels of confidence and resilience in this secure, nurturing environment.
• Staff promote positive behaviour and use stickers and rewards to encourage children to be thoughtful and kind to their friends. Rules and boundaries are consistently reinforced, and children understand how their actions could impact on others. Accomplishments are displayed on the 'proud cloud' board. This results in excellent behaviour, and children feeling valued.
• Management work hard to build strong partnerships with parents and carers. Staff use the chosen method of online diaries to provide a daily narrative of children's learning and development. A multitude of information, workshops and training offer a hub of support to parents. Many opportunities are offered for parental feedback to strengthen practice. Consequently, parents speak highly of the setting, stating that they go 'above and beyond' what is expected.
• Children are learning about being healthy and how their bodies work. They understand the need for handwashing and are keen to share discussions about how their heart works. Managers promote good oral hygiene with visits from dentists and free toothbrushes to take home. They encourage children to bring healthy food into the setting and urge them to try new foods, such as humous. This actively develops children's understanding of a healthy lifestyle.
• Managers have a clear vision of what they want children to learn. Planned activities are based around fun topics and adapted to link to children's next steps of development. However, on occasion, staff's directions for children's learning limits the choices children are able to make for themselves. For example, staff show children how to create a rocket and provide specific resources for this. This means that children are not always able to express their own imaginative ideas.
• Leaders and managers value the staff team. Parents are able to give their views about staff, and staff receive this feedback through certificates, which contributes to them feeling appreciated. The team speak favourably of management and the support they receive. This reflects the ethos of the warm, friendly setting, which positively impacts on the team's well-being and what they model to the children.
• A range of different training opportunities are openly available to staff. For instance, staff working with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive specialised training to meet the needs of their key children. However, management do not monitor staff's professional development as closely as possible. This means that they are unable to use the information obtained to continually develop practice and further raise the standards.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• monitor staff's professional development more closely and use the information obtained to continually develop their practice
• support staff to offer more opportunities for children to explore and test their own ideas to promote their creativity and imaginative skills.