Top Tots

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy learning what it is to be part of a community. Staff provide opportunities for them to meet a range of people, including the local fire and police services, as well as the local barber, optician and a local resident who comes to tell stories.

Staff know the children well and respond to their needs, offering reassurance and encouragement. Younger children snuggle in with staff for cuddles and are sensitively comforted if upset. Children behave well, learn to manage their feelings and are emotionally settled.

Children build on their communication and language development. Older children confidently take part in lively conversations with each other and staff, using a wide vocabulary and drawing on past events. They are curious, ask questions and develop new skills with the help of staff. There are daily opportunities for children to be physically active. Younger children enjoy exploring the garden, gaining confidence as they toddle on the grass. Staff teach children how to be safe around nettles and brambles and to respect wildlife. This helps children to develop valuable knowledge and understanding for their future.

Leaders and managers have high expectations for children and plan a curriculum that meets their individual needs. All children make good progress from their starting points.

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

• Staff know the children well and plan specifically for their individual needs. Children's key workers set realistic goals for children and all staff contribute to ongoing observation and assessment. Staff prepare older children well for their move to school, for instance by promoting their independence. They share information with new teachers and help children to feel positive and excited about their move to school. Staff share successful strategies and details of the specific support they have in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These effective arrangements promote consistency in children's care and in their education.
• Children develop their understanding of the world by exploring the life cycle of plants. With staff, they plant and water fruits and vegetables, harvest them to prepare in the kitchen, before eating them and composting the waste.
• Staff stimulate children's curiosity to learn. They provide a range of activities that reflect children's current interests. For example, children have fun as they use a hammer to break frozen 'dinosaur eggs' and find the small dinosaurs hidden inside.
• Staff promote children's good health. They help children learn to keep safe from the sun during hot weather and encourage older children to take regular drinks. Babies enjoy joining in with a member of staff who says 'cheers' as she clinks cups with them, and they drink together.
• Staff develop good partnerships with parents and/or carers. Some children spend time with their parents, sharing books in the garden before settling in for the day with their key person, with whom they have a secure emotional relationship. Parents state they are kept well-informed, value the care given to their children and feel proud of their achievements.
• Parents are welcomed into the nursery to celebrate religious festivals with traditional food and stories, and to recognise national events such as Pride and the Commonwealth Games. Children learn to value differences.
• Overall, there are a wide range of resources for children to explore and access to develop their creative skills. However, there are times when some staff plan specific activities which limit the range of resources available, rather than allowing children to develop and create their own ideas.
• Staff generally interact well with children and chat as they join in with their play, using a range of techniques to support children's speech and language development. However, during some routines, such as snack time and nappy changing, interactions are not consistent across the staff team.
• The managers are ambitious for the nursery and reflect realistically on the strengths and weaknesses of their provision. They are enthusiastic about growing their own staff team and support trainees through apprenticeships. The staff team meet regularly to discuss children's progress and ideas for developing provision. Leaders and managers promote good communications amongst the staff team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff skills to support children's understanding of routines, using effective communication with them during activities such as snack time
• enhance opportunities for children to explore and share their own creative ideas through language and activity choices.