Twisty Tails Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff place a strong focus on building children's personal, social, and emotional well-being. Babies and children benefit from the trusting and respectful relationships they develop with staff and their friends. For example, babies thoroughly enjoy a cuddle when they are upset. Younger children, and those who are new, settle happily as staff offer a warm welcome to them. This helps children to feel safe, confident, and well cared for. Staff identify children's specific needs early on and provide targeted support. They readily seek help from outside professionals, where necessary, and this contributes well to supporting children's further development. In addition, good arrangements are in place to support children who speak English as an additional language.

Children explore a variety of sensory materials to help to develop their sense of curiosity. For example, babies and toddlers use scoops, spoons, and tongs to explore sand as they transfer it into a range of different-sized containers. Toddlers mould dough and add rose petals and mint leaves with their hands. They make marks with large crayons. This helps them to build the muscles they need in preparation for early writing. Children learn about a range of different cultures and celebrations. For example, children read stories about Ramadan. They have opportunities to look at the Qur'an and talk about the importance of fasting during the month of Ramadan.

Staff are clear and consistent across the nursery with behaviour management strategies. They use high praise to encourage and reinforce children's good behaviour. Staff take time to talk things through with children. Children begin to learn how their actions impact on how other children feel.

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

• Children play in a well-resourced and well-thought-out learning environment. Staff have thought carefully about what they want children to learn. For example, older children use scissors to cut mint leaves and parsley, and make holes in lemons and squeeze out the juice. They talk to each other about what they are doing and develop storylines into their play as they learn about the five senses.
• Staff know children well and support children in their interests. They extend children's learning and understand how to move them on in their development. For instance, staff sing songs and rhymes with babies. Babies clap and babble energetically along to the music. Staff encourage older children to learn new vocabulary, such as 'minty', 'fresh' and 'velvety', as they explore fresh mint leaves during a large-group activity. However, staff do not always ensure that large-group times fully maintain children's focus so that they get the most out of their learning.
• Children's critical thinking and problem-solving skills are developing well. For instance, children are eager to explore the differences in the size and depth of dinosaur footprints that they have made in dough. Children comment that the character from the book 'The Gruffalo' has similar footprints. They eagerly open the book to check their predictions. Babies receive patient, practical help to overcome their frustrated attempts to pull up sellotaped animals off the floor. Activities such as these help children to develop good attitudes to their learning.
• The manager and staff give clear messages to children about healthy lifestyles. For example, they ensure that children have plenty of fresh air and exercise, and talk to them about foods that are good for them. Children learn the importance of washing their hands after using the toilet or before eating, and blow their noses with tissues and place them into the dustbin.
• Staff set high expectations for behaviour and help children to learn about and respect each other's uniqueness. Children are kind and find the praise they receive from staff highly motivating. They replicate this modelled behaviour in their own play.
• Overall, the staff have a good relationship with parents and carers. Parents are happy with the care and education provided. Parents are kept informed through daily discussions with staff and via online applications. Management arrange charity events that parents are invited to attend, such as coffee mornings. However, opportunities to encourage more parental participation in the setting and involve them in their children's home learning need to be improved further.
• The manager is supportive of staff. Staff have regular team meetings and one- to-one supervisions, where they are encouraged to evaluate and share their ideas to help to improve their practice. In addition, the manager conducts daily learning walks in each room and monitors staff teaching to identify and address the minor inconsistencies in practice.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review large-group activities to ensure that all children fully maintain focus and get the most out of their learning during these times
• strengthen parental involvement and share more information with parents to help them to extend their children's learning at home.