Curious Explorers Nursery and Preschool

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children enjoy their time at this welcoming, friendly and inclusive nursery.

They leave their parents and carers with ease and settle quickly to their chosen activities. Staff provide children with an interesting environment that sparks their curiosity. For instance, children eagerly explore sensory activities such as coloured rice.

They search for numbers and use their imaginations to pretend to make ice creams for their friends. Children bring resources of their choosing to support their play further, such as farm animals. They have developed warm and trusting relationships with staff.

Children show that the...y feel safe and secure and approach staff when they need support or comfort. The curriculum is well planned, understood by all staff and meets the needs of the children. The current focus is on children's communication and language, and their personal, social and emotional development.

These priorities have been identified as areas that need further support due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19. Staff know the children and their individual needs very well. All children make good progress from their starting points.

Children behave well and show that they know the nursery's rules and expectations. When they forget the rules, such as not to run inside, staff provide gentle reminders, which children respect. Children have formed secure friendships.

For instance, they happily engage in imaginative play. Children give each other roles and act out scenarios from home, such as putting babies in buggies and walking them to the shop.

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

The manager and staff are extremely passionate about the care and education they provide for children and their families.

As a team, they regularly meet to discuss the curriculum and each individual child. Staff carefully think about the skills and attributes they would like children to achieve before they move to school. This then feeds into the opportunities and learning experiences they provide.

Staff are keen to undertake further training, and they strive to know more in order to support children's learning and development.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported very well. The knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children quickly bridge any gaps in their development.

She works closely with staff to support them in identifying achievable next steps for children. The nursery is very inclusive.Partnerships with parents are a strength of the nursery and are well established.

Parents are provided with plenty of opportunities to speak to their child's key person. They are invited in for meetings regarding their child's progress and next steps. Staff understand the importance of sharing information with parents to keep children safe at home.

For example, they provide tips and advice on how to protect children when using the internet.Overall, staff promote children's language well. Children are developing a love of books and can repeat key words from familiar stories.

For example, when reading 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar', children could remember words such as 'cocoon'. Staff further support this by taking children on trips to the library to choose new books of interest. However, during free-play activities, staff do not consistently promote children's language and introduce them to new vocabulary as they play.

Children develop good independence skills. Staff encourage them to do things for themselves, offering support and guidance when needed. For example, at snack time, children cut up their fruit, pour their drinks, and butter their pancakes.

Furthermore, when children have finished painting, staff encourage children to write their name on their work. They help children to identify the first letter of their name and speak about the marks they have made.Staff provide children with a variety of experiences to support their physical development.

Children relish spending time outside, taking safe risks to balance and jump off objects. Children show great skill at being able to pedal the cars to avoid obstacles. Inside, children show delight at building with large plastic blocks.

They make constructions such as towers. Children balance on their toes to make the towers as tall as possible.Staff help all children to feel valued.

Staff gather information about children's cultures and religions, and they learn key words in children's home languages. For instance, the setting celebrated 'colour day' as part of a Hindu festival. This promotes children's individuality and awareness of the cultural differences in the local community.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: build on strategies to support children's communication and language skills during free-play activities.