Your Co-op Little Pioneers Nursery and Pre-School, Charlton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children form close bonds with staff. They arrive happily and are eager to meet the staff and their peers. Staff work closely with parents to understand ways to settle children who are new to the setting and provide them with reassurance and support. Children behave well, and staff support them to understand and adapt to the routines at the setting.

Children enjoy the regular opportunities that staff provide for them to play in the fresh air. Staff teach older children to keep safe, for example to hold the rail as they use the steps to access the garden. They show babies how to operate the bubble maker and release bubbles into the air. Babies are excited as they reach out and pop the bubbles. Staff show toddlers how to roll a ball down a small slope. Children are encouraged to be physically active.

Leaders and managers work closely with staff to plan a curriculum that aims to support individual children's progress towards next stages in their learning. Through regular assessments of children's progress, they identify and plan support for individual children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to help them catch up with their peers. Children make good progress from their starting points.

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

• Leaders and managers reflect well on their practice and identify areas of strength and weakness to plan for improvements. They provide relevant training for staff, for example in relation to nurturing positive behaviour. They carry out regular supervision meetings with staff to understand and provide support for individual staff in relation to their well-being and to plan for their key children.
• The team works well in partnerships with parents and professionals to plan support for children with SEND. It uses funding effectively, for instance to meet the needs of children who benefit from sensory learning experiences. Leaders and managers plan the curriculum well to meet the needs of individual children.
• Key persons know the children well. Staff who work with younger children demonstrate an understanding of the importance of taking account of children's nonverbal communication, for example when a child expresses their need to rest or needs a nappy change. Parents of older children provide positive feedback about the support from their child's key person to meet their children's unique needs.
• Staff help children to learn new words and use them in the context of their learning. For example, toddlers know that a caterpillar hides in a 'cocoon' before it becomes a 'butterfly'. Babies learn to follow instructions as they 'scrub' and 'wash' the mud off small-world animals. Parents of children who speak English as an additional language provide positive feedback about the progress their children make in their communication and language development.
• Staff provide several opportunities for children to listen to stories and songs. However, book reading activities are not always delivered effectively to fully support children's focus and concentration and to support all children to participate.
• Staff provide healthy meals for children and share information with parents, for instance regarding portion sizes that are recommended for children. They introduce children to activities that help children learn about healthy foods. Children build on their early understanding of a healthy lifestyle.
• Staff support children to learn to manage their feelings and emotions, for instance when children need support to share and take turns during play. They teach children to use polite words in their interactions with each other.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to explore different materials and textures. Older children enjoy making marks with paints. Toddlers learn to make shapes with play dough, and babies explore splashing water as they play in the garden. These experiences help children build on their creativity.
• Staff provide a range of learning experiences that support children's progress in the different areas of their learning. However, during some activities, staff do not adapt their interactions well enough to increase outcomes for children, particularly during older children's free play and while delivering some planned activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and improve the delivery of book reading activities to enhance children's concentration and focus and to encourage all children to participate
• strengthen staff skills to adapt their interactions to fully support children's learning, particularly during children's free play and some planned activities.