Twinkles

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy their learning in this warm, vibrant and friendly nursery. They make good progress overall in all aspects of their development. Staff prepare children well for the next stage in their learning, including systematically developing the skills and knowledge they need for starting school. For example, children learn to control their mark-making skills increasingly as they create chalk drawings around their friends, make tracks in paint with toy cars or draw and name ovals, circles, squares and other shapes. These activities help prepare children for the later development of their writing skills.

Children are safe and secure. They rise to the staff's high expectations and are very well behaved. Children, including those who find it difficult to manage their emotions, build strong relationships with the positive and friendly staff and learn to play with others. Staff skilfully help children build their confidence and independence. Children learn how to take care of themselves and live healthily. For example, they regularly participate in highly invigorating dance activities and learn how to wash their hands and keep their teeth clean. Parents appreciate the intimate and friendly ethos of the nursery and the good childcare guidance staff offer them.

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

• Staff plan well overall to help children build sequentially on their previous learning. They make good use of the children's interests to ensure they are all motivated and engaged. However, they do not consistently support children to extend and deepen their knowledge and understanding fully by, for example, varying the questions they ask them or by showing them further ways to use new skills more effectively.
• Staff strongly support children with SEND and many who may be vulnerable and need further support. They identify gaps in children's learning at an early stage and work very closely with other professionals, such as speech and language therapists and social care, to address them.
• The experienced leaders are ambitious to ensure all children leave the nursery as happy, confident and eager learners. They are strong role models to staff and children. Staff are passionate about their roles and work well as a team and to share their training and experiences.
• Staff encourage children to develop a love of books. They introduce children to a range of fiction and non-fiction that systematically develops their language skills and knowledge of the world. For instance, children eagerly tell staff that the best stories begin with 'once upon a time'.
• Staff prioritise the development of children's communication skills. They make very good use of songs and rhymes to engage children in both listening to and learning new words and phrases. They help children to speak confidently to others as, for example, they become the teacher in group times and tell their friends what activities they will do 'now, next and then'.
• Staff are good role models and help children to be courteous and behave well. Children learn to say 'please' and 'thank you' as they play and learn. Parents of children who have difficulty managing their own emotions comment very positively on the effectiveness of the guidance staff offer for improving behaviour at home.
• Staff promote children's personal development, health and well-being extremely well. Children's decision-making skills and sense of fairness are strongly developed. For example, staff teach children how to cast a vote for the books they would like in the nursery. Children learn to be independent and also to work well together when, for example, they tidy away.
• Staff help children develop their physical skills well. Children love the lively and energetic daily dancing sessions. They learn to control their movements, balance and jumps as they play parachute games or climb increasingly challenging obstacle courses.
• Parents strongly recommend the nursery. They appreciate the staff's commitment to making children's lives happy and stimulated and comment on how well prepared children are for starting school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus staff's professional development on supporting children to fully extend and deepen their knowledge and understanding.