Treetops Kilburn

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and excited to see their friends. They greet each other enthusiastically with a big hug at the door. Babies settle in quickly and have strong attachments with kind and gentle staff. This demonstrates that children feel safe and secure. Staff know children's needs well and have worked hard to help them learn to share and take turns. Interesting activities are planned to support this. For example, children in pre-school show excitement as they take turns to feed their fish to the greedy shark.

Staff offer lots of praise for children's efforts and acknowledge their achievements, supporting their confidence and self-esteem. Children behave well and enjoy trying out new things for themselves. For example, children learn about different consistencies when they make their own play dough and mix flour with water. Plenty of opportunities are provided to support children's independence. For example, toddlers are supported as they put on their coats for outdoor play, while older children self-serve their lunchtime meal. These help children to be well prepared for school. Children enjoy being active as they jump and catch bubbles and instigate imaginative chasing games, strengthening their physical skills.

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

• Partnerships with parents are strong, and parents speak positively of the nursery team. They feel that their children are well cared for, and they have seen lots of progress in their children. Information is shared through daily updates, monthly newsletters and parents' meetings. This helps parents to know what their children need to learn next. The management team has a clear vision for the setting and is passionate in wanting to give children the best start in life and achieve the very best. Recently, managers introduced a parent representative role to encourage parents to share ideas for further improvement and strengthen communication.
• Staff plan for each child's individual stage of development and reflect on their interests in the fun activities they offer. This enables children to rapidly develop new skills and knowledge. The manager works hard to support her staff team. She spends time overseeing and observing staff practice and knows what needs improving. As a result, the quality of teaching is generally good.
• Staff appropriately adapt interactions to support children who speak English as an additional language. Single words and picture symbols are used to help build children's understanding. The use of words gathered from the children's families support children to hear their home language at the setting and to make connections with what they know. This helps to develop children's confidence in speaking English.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported.
• Staff are skilled in identifying children's additional needs early. They work effectively with a range of professionals and use a range of strategies to ensure the children have the best possible outcomes.
• Children learn about different traditions and celebrations beyond their own. For instance, they were interested in learning about fasting and made a curry when celebrating Ramadan.
• Children's communication and language skills are supported well. They sing songs and learn new words while they play. For example, as babies explore sand in the garden, staff name the animals and sing 'three little ducks'. Staff use questioning to support older children's language and understanding. However, on occasion, questioning and activities are very directed, resulting in children being unable to test out their own ideas and solve problems.
• Staff attend regular and valuable training. They have made good use of recent training to learn about the different ways they can support children to learn. As a result, children are excited to learn new skills and enjoy different learning experiences.
• Staff support children to develop healthy lifestyles. Mealtimes are sociable, and all children sit together with staff to enjoy healthy and nutritious meals and snacks. Children regularly wash their hands and learn about good hygiene practices. They confidently collect their own drinking cups when they become thirsty during the day.
• Staff have created a calm and cosy area, where children can relax in a comfortable, covered space while resting and looking at books. Sensory resources are provided throughout the setting. For example, children enjoy exploring and squeezing oats. This helps children to strengthen their fine motor skills and learn about different textures.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review staff interactions with children to support children to test out their own ideas and solve problems.