Top Of The Tots

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

There is a lovely atmosphere in this welcoming nursery as children play and learn together. Children are supported to feel settled and secure when they arrive. Staff are always available for a cuddle or to provide encouragement and reassurance to children. There is a strong emphasis on helping children to understand their emotions. When children say they are feeling sad, staff ask their friends what they could do to help them to feel happy again. Children are helpful and show consideration towards others. They beam with pride when staff praise them for this. Managers explain that teaching children respect and kindness is at the heart of the nursery.

The learning environment is stimulating and provides children with a wealth of interesting things to do. Children can freely access a wide range of different resources. These have been carefully selected to support children's learning and development. The painting area is popular, as children develop their mark-making skills and learn what happens when they mix different colours. They engage in imaginative play in the home corner and develop their finger muscles as they roll out and cut play dough. Although the outdoor area was not in use on the day of inspection, children benefited from fresh air and exercise as they walked to a local park. Here, they giggled with delight as they played games together and developed their physical skills on the equipment. Throughout the day, children are supported to make progress from their starting points as staff join them in their play. These interactions build on each individual child's knowledge and skills effectively.

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

• The managers have implemented significant improvements since the last inspection. They have welcomed support from the local authority and continue to review and evaluate their practice. The staff feel valued and are able to contribute their ideas to enhance the nursery even more.
• The curriculum is designed to meet the needs of the children who attend. Managers have a strong understanding of the children's families and of the local community. They use this knowledge to plan opportunities for children to develop the knowledge and skills they need to equip them for future learning. Links with local schools help support children to be ready to move on.
• Communication and language development is central to the nursery's curriculum. Although no babies were present on the day of inspection, staff speak knowledgeably about how they support the youngest children's early speech. As children progress, they learn a wealth of new vocabulary as they play. Staff give children plenty of time to respond to questions. Where children are not making as much progress as they should, staff put in place additional support and liaise with other professionals, if required.
• Mealtimes are highly sociable as children and staff eat together. Managers have recently made changes to the snacks provided, introducing a lovely variety of healthy options. Staff encourage children to try different foods. They thoroughly enjoy the crunchy vegetables, especially as they have just been engaged in an activity where dinosaurs have eaten the same food.
• The activities led by staff are carefully planned and often focus on encouraging children to build their confidence as they interact with each other. Children learn to take turns as they create their own bus and decide where they are going and what they need to take with them. Quieter children become fully engaged as they are given important roles, such as the driver.
• Songs, rhymes and stories are generally used effectively throughout the day. Children become engrossed as staff read to them and ask them about the story. However, staff do not always take advantage of opportunities to develop children's mathematical vocabulary when reading or singing. Furthermore, daily routines such as snack time are not always used to explore mathematics through counting, shape recognition and comparing sizes.
• Parental feedback is very positive. Parents value the care their children receive and report that managers are always available to talk to them about their children. They welcome advice on matters such as toilet training. The daily diaries that staff fill in are valued by parents. Here, they find out about their children's learning, so they know what staff are working on. This helps parents to know how to support their children further at home.
• Record keeping systems are in place that meet requirements. Managers collect appropriate information about each child when they start attending. However, sometimes, records are not organised as efficiently or consistently as they could be. Managers have already identified ways this can be improved so that information is comprehensive and more easily accessible.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance the mathematics curriculum by including more opportunities for children to develop their knowledge and understanding as part of their play and daily routines
• review and refine record keeping systems so that these are maintained consistently and information can be accessed more readily to support children's care and development.