Twinkle Star Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children separate from their parents with ease as they happily enter this fun and welcoming nursery. Staff greet children with a big smile, and children rapidly seek out their friends and begin to play. Staff are consistently kind and responsive to children. They create a safe and nurturing space where children feel happy and secure. Children display a strong sense of belonging and show that they feel safe and secure. For example, babies crawl over to staff and sit on their laps. Staff respond by cuddling the babies into them, showing genuine warmth and kindness.

Staff implement an ambitious and enjoyable curriculum. This focuses on developing children's engagement, communication, independence and resilience. Staff carefully consider children's next steps in learning. They use the information they identify to plan targeted experiences to help close gaps in learning.

Staff use shared strategies to promote children's positive behaviour. For instance, they remind children about the behaviour 'goals' in each room, such as using 'kind hands'. Staff help children to recognise their emotions, and they intervene quickly when children struggle with regulating their behaviour. Children display kindness towards their friends. For example, they hold each other's hands so they do not fall as they balance and walk across wooden boxes. Staff praise children for their efforts, causing them to smile widely.

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

• The curriculum is well designed to meet children's needs, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders support staff in implementing a sequential curriculum that provides unique experiences for all children. Staff work well with parents and other professionals to ensure that information is regularly shared and updated. All children, including children with SEND, make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff make good use of outings to extend children's understanding of the local community. For instance, children visit the local shop to purchase ingredients to use for cooking activities. They enjoy making food that is traditional to other countries. This helps children to develop their understanding of different cultures and traditions.
• Staff talk to children about the importance of healthy eating. They encourage children to eat their lunch, as it will make them 'big and strong'. Staff supervise children's eating vigilantly. However, the organisation of lunchtimes is not as well thought out as other parts of the daily routine, as babies become unsettled due to the length of time that they spend in high chairs.
• Staff support and encourage children to become confident communicators. Children have many opportunities to widen their vocabulary. While playing a shopping game, staff introduce the word 'aubergine'. Older children learn a 'sound of the week'. Staff share this with parents to help support this new learning at home.
• Staff support children who speak English as an additional language to develop their language skills and sense of belonging in the nursery. For example, staff work with parents and ask them to provide words in their home language. They then share these words with children, helping them to feel valued in the nursery.
• Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They help children to recognise their emotions and intervene quickly when children struggle with regulating their behaviour. All children behave well.
• Experienced leaders support staff well, and staff feel well supported and valued. Leaders have systems in place to identify staff's training needs. They monitor staff's practice through observations and meet with staff regularly, both one to one and as a team. Leaders give staff regular opportunities to complete relevant training to help their key children. This helps staff to improve their skills and develop their knowledge of individual children. All staff show a commitment to their professional development and want to develop their already good practice further.
• Staff have formed strong partnerships with parents, who value the good communication they receive regarding their children's care and learning. Staff work with parents and follow home routines successfully. They provide support and ideas when needed, such as when children are progressing to toilet training.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the deployment of staff, particularly in the baby room, to provide consistent and purposeful interactions for children.