Kirton kites

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Friendly and attentive staff greet children at the door with a welcoming smile. Upon entering, children immediately self-select form the inviting and fun activities that are familiar to them. Staff provide tailored settling-in sessions, which help children build trusting and caring attachments to the nurturing staff.

New babies and children settle swiftly, as familiar staff provide them with the right levels of support from the start. When babies become tired, staff play soothing sounds that are recognisable to them. This means they happily fall asleep, comfortable and reassured in their new surroundings.

Staff take a ...genuine interest in the children they care for. They talk to children about subjects that matter to them such as what they did on their recent holiday. Staff listen and respond with enthusiasm, which encourages children to eagerly tell them all about their trip.

These pertinent conversations play a pivotal role in fostering their confidence and mental well-being.Children show respect for each other and spontaneously display kind behaviours. Children offer to help their peers count dots on dice during a counting game and invite younger peers to read a story with them.

Staff provide consistent and meaningful praise for these actions, motivating children to repeat these positive behaviours.

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

The management team and staff are passionate and care deeply about the role they play in shaping young minds. Staff are supported extremely well by the management team.

They offer training and model good teaching. They listen to staff's knowledge of the children to ensure they are continually adapting to meet the needs of individual children. For example, staff converted an outdoor cabin into a calming, multi-purpose sensory room to support children who can become overwhelmed at times.

As a result, children learn to self-regulate their behaviour and improve their focus and well-being.Parents say their children enjoy attending and praise the caring and dedicated staff. They express that they see the progress their children are making, especially in their confidence, and their speech and language development.

Staff regularly share children's progress with parents and next steps they can review at home. Communication is reciprocal and staff make great use of information provided by parents, to plan activities that continually meet children's individual needs.A robust key-person system and regular assessment, ensures that all children make good progress from their starting points.

Staff have a clear understanding of how children learn. The well-planned indoor and outdoor environment supports children's exploratory play and learning through trial and error. Toddlers giggle and laugh as they explore a water activity.

They delight in using their hand to hit the water, learning that the harder they hit the bigger the splash and the wetter they get.Children play cooperatively and develop friendships as they make each other birthday cakes from play dough. Staff follow children's lead and extend their learning by introducing props such as candles, cake cases and baking trays.

This skilful interaction sparks further imaginative play. Additionally, less confident children feel empowered as they proudly share their knowledge about how candles have a flame that can be blown out. However, occasionally staff do not make the most out of children's natural curiosities during play, to support them to explore their ideas in greater depth and extend on what they already know and can do.

Children learn good hygiene routines when staff gently guide them to visit the self-care station to learn how to blow their nose themselves. Children demonstrate becoming increasingly independent in their self-care care when washing their hands independently before eating and after visiting the toilet.Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is highly effective.

The nursery has a trained special educational needs coordinator member of staff who frequently liaises with external agencies. They support parents with any referrals and put plans in place to help close any gaps in learning. Children benefit from small interaction groups where staff support children's speech and language development and accepting the needs of others through turn-taking games.

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: focus on consistently supporting children to explore their own ideas in more depth, to extend their learning and build on what they already know and can do.