Wise Owl Nursery & Pre School Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the setting happy and eager to begin their day. They receive a warm and friendly greeting from staff. Children quickly become engaged in their play and learning. They move around the safe and interesting indoor and outdoor areas confidently. Children feel secure in the setting and have close bonds with the kind and caring staff. They know what is expected of them and are aware of the routines in the setting. For instance, when young children see the chef, they go to the kitchen area, and patiently wait to wash their hands before having some snack.

Staff know children and their families well. They recognise that some children will have had limited opportunities to play cooperatively with other children and to develop their communication skills over the past year. Staff introduce all children gently to the idea of playing with, and talking to, others. They help children to develop the social skills they need to play together. Children behave well and are very polite. Older children demonstrate impeccable manners. For example, they say please and thank you when asking for things, without being prompted. Staff teach children to be kind and to look after the resources and books. Babies help to tidy away toys once they have finished playing. Older children delight in getting stickers for being kind, helpful and using good manners.

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

• Staff settle new children into the setting well. They visit children at home and offer settling-in sessions. This helps staff to get to know children and their families before they start at the setting. Staff ask parents about their children's routines, likes and dislikes. They also find out about children's learning and development. Staff use this information to plan activities that children will enjoy and be interested in.
• Staff know their key children's personalities well. They are aware of children's starting points in learning and confidently discuss the progress that they have made. Staff know where children are in their development and, overall, what their next steps in learning are. However, some staff are less confident when talking about what they want younger children to learn during activities that they provide for children.
• Staff place an emphasis on developing children's early language development. They want children to be good communicators and monitor their progress well. Staff use stories, songs and rhymes effectively to support children's language development. Babies come together to listen to familiar stories. They explore puppets and props as staff enthusiastically read the story. This helps to maintain babies' interest and makes the session interactive. Older children engage in conversations throughout the day with staff and each other.
• Children have plenty of opportunities to engage in a wide range of experiences that are planned to help them to develop across all areas of learning. However, some group activities are not as well planned as other experiences that staff provide for children. For instance, when older children take part in singing time, staff frequently interrupt them to use the bathroom before going outside. This affects children's concentration and does not fully support their listening and attention skills.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Staff regularly share what children are doing and learning with their parents. They send out termly review forms to share children's progress and ask parents what their children are interested in at home. Staff incorporate this information when they plan activities, to help children to be engaged and focused.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported incredibly well by skilful and experienced staff. Staff know what makes each child unique. They work closely with other professionals and parents to ensure that children receive the support that they need. Staff use additional funding successfully to give children the help they need.
• Leaders, managers and staff work well together to evaluate the setting and drive forward improvements. For instance, staff have developed a range of core stories and rhymes, in each room, that they want children to know well and remember. This helps to support children's language and early literacy skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to further their understanding of what they want younger children to learn during activities
• review how group activities are planned and organised to ensure that all children are fully engaged, to extend their learning opportunities further.