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

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children flourish and thrive at this welcoming nursery. Staff know children extremely well and proudly discuss their key children and their achievements. The manager and her team have very high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They put children's needs at the heart of everything that they do and guide children through exciting learning experiences that enhance their current skills. Staff use the curriculum and children's interests to plan activities that engage the children and extend their knowledge.

Staff are excellent role models and have high expectations of children's behaviour. They place a great emphasis on promoting children's self-confidence and emotional well-being. Older children begin to understand and recognise feelings and emotions. Staff support children to learn how to regulate these emotions with colours and a familiar story about the 'colour monster'. Children behave exceptionally well.

Staff enhance children's communication skills very successfully across the nursery. They encourage a love of words, books and literature to ignite children's early vocabulary, creativeness and imaginations. Children consistently and confidently show what they already know, remember and can do. Staff successfully plan targeted intentions, such as strategies, to support children's early communication, speech and language. All children, including those with SEND, make excellent progress. Children successfully gain the skills they need to give them the best foundations for their future learning.

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

• The management team is highly effective. The dedicated staff feel well supported and talk about the 'open door' policy. They receive regular supervision and well-being sessions, quality observations and training. This contributes to creating a very dedicated and capable team.
• Managers use additional funding effectively to support children's individual needs. The nursery's special educational needs coordinator is extremely experienced in her role. She is knowledgeable about the children who attend with SEND. She works very closely with each child's key person, family and relevant agencies to ensure that they receive timely interventions and targeted support to meet their developmental needs. Children on the pathway to diagnosis are supported extremely well.
• Staff teach children about recycling and how this supports the environment. Staff involve children in back-and-forth conversations, ask questions and wait patiently for them to respond. Children are extremely good communicators. They are eager to share their thoughts and ideas with staff and visitors. For example, they proudly talk about their roles as 'Eco warriors'. They are 'warriors' for not wasting paper, water or electricity. Independently, older children check that taps are not left running in the bathroom and lights are switched off on sunny days. Children enthusiastically talk about their special role for the day and thrive on the praise and encouragement staff and visitors provide.
• Staff encourage children to develop their self-help and independence. Babies learn to feed themselves with a spoon. Older babies learn to use a fork and learn to drink from an open cup. Older children continue to develop these skills as they learn to use a knife and fork and serve their own food. Children independently put toys away and use dustpans and brushes to sweep up any spilled sand without prompting.
• Children develop excellent literacy and mathematical skills. Staff model mathematical language very well during children's play. Older children use numbers spontaneously during activities. For example, during a water activity, older children create potions and purposefully count as they scoop the water into jugs. They talk about the jugs being 'full', 'overflowing' or 'empty'. They practise writing their own names and learn to paint and draw confidently. They capably make marks for a purpose.
• Children of all ages demonstrate high levels of engagement and interest. They show very positive attitudes to learning. All children learn to explore different textures and senses. Young babies excitedly splash their hands and feet in water trays. Older babies explore a tray with compost and mud. Toddlers explore grass, seeds and 'gloop'. Older children explore lemons, limes and herbs.
• Staff provide plenty of opportunities for children to develop their health and physical development. Children play and explore outside and demonstrate that they are very active. They enjoy nutritious home-cooked meals and snacks that are provided by the nursery cook. Staff teach them the importance of personal hygiene and oral health.
• Parents are very complimentary about the nursery. They report their children make very good progress. Parents feel well informed and very supported by the nursery team. Staff inform parents of their children's learning and development. They share information with parents through regular updates on an online app, daily discussions and regular meetings. Staff provide a lending library and home-learning packs for children to enjoy at home.