Waddles Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The staff create a home-from-home learning environment, where children and staff have strong bonds. Children display their eagerness and willingness to learn when they listen carefully to staff during child-led activities.

Children are sociable and enjoy telling the visitor about the ice creams they are 'eating'. They offer an ice cream to the visitor and say, 'Here, have an ice cream, it is mint flavour'. The children have meaningful conversations with staff as staff ask the children 'How could we make the ice creams healthy?' Children are keen to tell the staff about different types of vegetables and fruit. The staff follow a healthy eating programme, which they consistently talk about during the day, promoting the children's knowledge of staying healthy.

Children enjoy picking their own herbs from the setting's vegetable patch to make 'soup' in the mud kitchen area. They copy staff who enthusiastically smell the herbs and encourage children to do the same. Children express how they are feeling when they touch the wet mud and add water, for example children smile and jump when they pour more water onto the mud; they listen to the sound and say 'splat'. Children are independent and collect and transport their own water using large jugs. Furthermore, children find their own wellington boots and aprons before starting a messy activity.

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

• Healthy eating is given high priority. Staff consistently encourage conversations about how to stay healthy when they ask children how many fruits and vegetables they have eaten during the day. Staff use the setting's vegetable patch to expand children's knowledge of how things grow and promote healthy eating.
• The staff implement a curriculum that focuses on the children's interests. Children have access to a range of activities, which cover all areas of learning. They learn mainly through child-led activities while being supported by staff, who use meaningful language to assist and expand their play.
• The leadership and management team have created an environment where children feel safe, secure and confident. Children enter the setting with big smiles and separate from parents and carers with ease. Children tell staff when they are feeling sad and staff use kind and encouraging words to comfort the children. Furthermore, children have access to mirrors and emotion symbols throughout the setting to encourage their self-regulation.
• Cultural differences and diversity are celebrated when children are invited to celebrate different religious festivals. Children have opportunities to share their differences during circle time, expanding their knowledge of diversity and the wider community.
• The special educational needs coordinator is knowledgeable and ensures that ample information is shared between parents, outside professionals and staff consistently. Children have personalised plans in place, providing them with one- to-one sessions to progress them further in their learning journey. All children make good progress.
• Children demonstrate how they are learning through child-led activities as they take it in turns to make marks on the ground using water and brushes; they talk about the shapes and letters they can see. Staff use language that expands children's knowledge, for example they introduce animals and discuss their differences. However, when activities and routines are adult led, not all children are engaged due to the lack of preparation and organisation. Some children cannot find an apron or wellington boots and are left to join in midway through the activity. Younger children become frustrated because they have to wait for staff to provide them with handwashing resources prior to lunchtime.
• Parents express how happy they are with the setting and specifically mention how the staff recognise changes in their child's behaviour. The parents report that they receive ample information about their child's learning, which promotes parent partnerships.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and improve the way that staff prepare and organise daily routines and activities, to ensure children are accessing learning opportunities consistently throughout the day.