Tuebrook Kids Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and safe in this homely environment. Staff have warm attachments with children. When children first start at the setting, they attend settling-in sessions and form bonds with their key person. Staff take children on visits to their next room as they transition through the nursery. As a result, children settle well and enjoy their time at the setting. Staff have clear behaviour strategies and apply these consistently. Children behave very well. The nursery curriculum incorporates personal and social development. For example, staff remind children that their friend would like a turn and to 'share'. Staff adapt their approach for the varying ages of children throughout each room. Consequently, all children understand what is expected of them.

Staff provide children with well-resourced indoor and outdoor environments. The children confidently enjoy exploring and investigating the activities and toys on offer at the nursery. They freely select resources and choose activities. Children enjoy playing alongside each other. For example, children enjoy finding worms and are proud to show these to their friends. Babies make marks in edible paint with their fingers. Older children practise scissor cutting skills and squeeze dough. This helps them to develop their hand muscles in preparation for writing.

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

• Leaders are dedicated to providing quality care for children and families. The manager and staff work closely together to provide a balanced and sequenced curriculum. However, at times, staff do not enhance and extend children's learning further by reinforcing and building on what they know and can do. For example, children sing action songs well, but staff do not build on this. Children move away and wait at tables for lunch and become disengaged from learning. As a result, children are not consistently supported to make the very best possible progress.
• Leaders and staff identify children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) through their assessments and discussions with parents. They use targeted intervention to support children with SEND while they are awaiting support from outside professionals. All children, including those with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language, make progress from their starting points.
• The owner and leaders evaluate practice well. They are able to identify strengths and areas of good practice. There is a high priority on staff well-being, and staff feel happy and supported in their roles. However, supervision processes do not always link together with coaching or training. This does not always ensure consistency in staff practice.
• Leaders, staff and children recently raised funds to buy a defibrillator that everyone in the community can access. All staff complete paediatric first-aid training, so the setting can support the use of the device. This benefits children, as all staff know what to do in a first-aid situation.
• Staff are positive role models for children and know each child well. They are sensitive and caring towards the children and promptly attend to their needs with genuine care.
• Children enjoy playing in the large garden area. Staff provide scooters and tricycles. Children show good balance and coordination as they play. Children demonstrate persistence and resilience when learning to use the swings.
• Staff teach children about different cultures. Staff support children to understand how they may be similar and different to others. For example, children are encouraged to show their friends henna patterns on their hands. This promotes opportunities for discussion and helps to prepare children for life in modern Britain.
• Overall, parents speak positively about the provision and warmly about the staff team. Staff keep parents updated through the online system and discussions. However, there are too few opportunities for parents to speak with their children's key person. As a result, staff are less able to help parents to support and extend their children's learning at home.
• Staff support children to find leaves. While children play, staff introduce key words, such as 'small', 'gigantic', and 'red'. This further promotes children's language development while they hunt for more leaves.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consistently build on what children know and can do during children's self-chosen play
• focus supervision more sharply on developing further the consistency of all staff's individual knowledge and skills
• identify ways to help staff to communicate better with the parents of their key children to involve parents in their children's learning even further.