Top Tots Day Nursery Fort Purbrook Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children make good progress across all areas of learning in this exciting environment. They confidently share their ideas and lead the direction of their play. For example, children build a camper van using large scale construction materials, such as tyres and big wooden blocks. They work cooperatively with their friends to bring their ideas to life. Children explain the details and features of their creation and give a rationale for what they have included. For example, they proudly say, 'It has an extra tyre on the back in case one goes flat'. Staff play alongside the children encouraging them to solve problems.

Children are welcoming and friendly. Staff encourage the children to treat each other with kindness and respect. Children demonstrate this when they cuddle their friends, and tell them how much they like them. Babies and toddlers form trusting relationships with their key person. This leads to a positive environment where children feel happy. Children understand how to keep themselves safe and remind each other of the rules, such as how to hold scissors correctly. They understand the boundaries that are in place. For example, when walking to the garden located at the top of the fort, they pair up and hold hands.

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

• Children show high levels of engagement in their learning. They are eager to participate in activities and concentrate very well. For example, children take it in turns to roll dice with pictures on to create their own story. They listen intently to the story and make suggestions for what could happen next. This helps children to develop their literacy skills and their ability to focus.
• Leaders and managers have created a plan to continually improve the setting. They work together to reflect upon and evaluate the provision. Management meet with staff to complete their supervisions and identify any training needs as they arise. However, they are yet to fully embed the support in place to help less experienced staff strengthen their interactions with children. Therefore, on occasion, some staff do not use their conversations effectively to deepen children's knowledge and extend their learning further.
• Parents are keen to share their views of the nursery. They praise the staff team commenting on how 'kind' and 'approachable' they are. Parents meet with their children's key person termly to discuss the progress that they are making. Staff make an effort to continually build partnerships with parents. For example, they invite parents in for craft afternoons to support and encourage them to work with their children to create and make things.
• The manager has established a clear curriculum, building on children's previous knowledge and their current interests. When children join, staff obtain information about their levels of development and routines. They then use this information to plan activities to help to close any gaps in their learning. The manager ensures that the curriculum provides children with the skills they need for the next stage of their education. For instance, staff focus on children developing their independence skills and provide them with plenty of opportunities to do things for themselves. As a result, children are highly independent.
• Children learn about healthy lifestyles. They brush their teeth daily and staff talk to them about why it is important to have good oral health. Children spend time being physically active. They practise balancing and climbing outside in the fresh air. Children remind each other why they need to wear hats to keep safe in the sunshine.
• Children who speak English as an additional language are well supported to develop their communication and language skills. Staff work closely with parents to find out keywords in children's home language. They incorporate children's first language into the setting through songs and rhymes. This leads to children making good progress and feeling included and valued within the setting.
• The special educational needs coordinator is highly skilled at identifying any additional support that needs to be put in place for children. She embeds effective strategies to assist children's learning and development. This has a notable positive impact on children. Leaders ensure that any additional funding is spent to directly benefit the children. For example, she has used the funding to enhance the experiences available to children in the outside environment.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support less experienced staff to strengthen their conversations and interactions with children, to deepen their knowledge and stretch their learning even further.