Little Adventures Nursery (Taunton)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children happily enter a welcoming nursery and develop strong bonds with familiar adults. Children enjoy a broad and balanced range of experiences that complement their interests and support them to make progress in all areas of their learning.

For example, toddlers thoroughly enjoy using their senses to explore thick, colourful gloop. They push the plastic boats through the mixture to make pathways. They communicate their ideas well with staff, who respond and engage in their play successfully.

Children show curiosity as they discover how to make the boat's horn blow. They confidently add resources to their play, such... as plastic animals to pilot the boats.Older children are well prepared for school.

They engage well in activities such as making dough. Children listen carefully to instructions and confidently ask each other questions to explore new ideas. Staff facilitate learning well, ensuring there is a wide range of resources for children to explore.

This means all children are actively involved in their learning. Staff encourage children to recall their previous learning and build on their knowledge. For example, they recall what ingredients they need to make the dough and can identify what to add to change the consistency of the dough if it is too wet.

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

The management team has a good overview of the curriculum and ensures children's progress is effectively monitored. It ensures staff receive training, guidance and support to raise the quality of their teaching and to successfully implement the well-constructed curriculum.The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has good knowledge of those children who need additional support.

He works closely with other agencies, parents and children's key people to develop precise action plans to reduce gaps in children's learning and provide effective support.Staff focus well on supporting children to develop good communication and language skills. Children engage well in stories, for example repeating familiar phrases as they retell the story of 'Stick Man'.

Staff use the props well to engage children fully. Babies thoroughly enjoy choosing favourite books to share with staff. They turn pages together and stroke the different textures on the kitten, while staff introduce new vocabulary for children to repeat.

However, staff working with the youngest children do not always create an environment which supports good listening, such as during 'sing and sign'.Children behave well and are kind to each other. Staff use some strategies well to manage children's behaviour.

For example, during a focused activity, staff reposition themselves and distract children when minor disputes arise. Staff help children recognise how they feel and how their behaviour affects their friends.However, staff do not always adapt strategies to enable those children who are learning to speak English as an additional language to understand behavioural expectations and to engage in daily routines successfully.

Daily routines and care practices help children to gain good understanding of how to keep themselves healthy and safe. Toddlers know that when they drop food on the floor, they do not eat it. Older children test various methods to clean their hands after playing in the dough.

They investigate brushing their hands together and wiping them with a tissue before settling on washing them with water and soap.There are highly effective key-person systems, which parents greatly appreciate. When young children are tired, they reach for their key person, who gives them cuddles and reassurance.

Staff use successful arrangements to ensure children settle quickly as they move between rooms. There are frequent opportunities for children to mix and play together in the soft play. Children moving on to a new room make bonds with all staff, and staff respect children's choices when they decide who will be their new key person.

Leaders and managers have a clear and ambitious vision. The strong management team understands what works well and what needs to improve at this newly opened nursery. Its members provide effective support to empower a stable staff team to make these improvements together.

They frequently encourage parents to provide feedback on the service they provide. They identify improvements and take prompt action to improve children's experiences. For example, following slight concerns about a repetitive menu, the provider has employed a chef who has amended the menu.

The chef provides children with varied and nutritious meals that meet their individual dietary requirements successfully.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The management team ensures that staff understand and implement effective policies and procedures.

It regularly reviews risk assessments and adapts practice to ensure that children are safe. For example, the management team has ensured that all staff understand the collection procedure and fire safety. There are efficient recruitment and induction arrangements to ensure staff are suitable for their role.

All staff attend safeguarding training and have good knowledge of the potential signs that a child is at risk of harm. The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) has good understanding of her responsibilities to report any concerns about a child or a member of staff to the appropriate agencies.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: develop further staff's knowledge of strategies to support all children, including those learning to speak English as an additional language, to understand behavioural expectations and daily routines review the learning environment for the youngest children during singing activities to ensure it encourages good listening and attention.