Little Adventures Nursery (Weston-super-Mare)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The curriculum is ambitious. It supports children's interests and next steps in learning successfully.

Children relish the opportunity to observe, smell and feel the ingredients used to make their lunch. The chef talks with the children about where the ingredients come from and introduces new vocabulary to support their understanding well. Children talk confidently about what they know about the vegetables.

Young children show curiosity and are motivated to learn. They show interest in the musical instruments and explore how to make different sounds. Staff commentate well on children's actions, helping them to develop ...their communication and language skills successfully.

Children listen and follow instructions well as they identify the different colours. They clap, showing pride in their achievements when praised.Children love being outside and active in the inviting environment.

Older children challenge themselves well on the obstacle course. They climb, balance and jump with confidence. They challenge themselves even further, such as choosing higher reels to jump off.

Staff are nearby to reassure and offer support for those who are less confident in their movements.Children see numbers in their play and learn to recognise them. For example, older children show fascination as they explore the numbered potatoes outside.

They move them next to a group of dinosaurs to label as '3' accurately. Children help each other to sequence the potatoes in order, negotiating turn taking well.

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

All staff are actively involved in creating a well-designed curriculum that helps children to make the progress of which they are capable.

Staff understand how to sequence learning. For example, older babies thoroughly enjoy using spoons and scoops to remove pumpkin seeds, helping them to build their skills for early writing. This progresses to older children, who use a range of tools to manipulate the play dough, showing good hand-eye coordination in their movements.

Staff interact well with children to raise the quality of their experiences. However, on occasion, staff do not use all opportunities to help children think critically as they engage in activities such as building ramps for the dinosaurs. Staff do not always focus precisely on what they want children to learn during planned activities.

Staff support children's communication and language skills effectively. They provide good opportunities to spark conversations, such as 'the family board', about which children show interest in the photographs on display. Children love listening to stories and show interest in the illustrations.

They respond well to questions and are confident to share their ideas and relate to their own experiences. Staff show respect for children's ideas and sensitively correct language, such as when they mistake the Loch Ness Monster for a dinosaur.Children thrive due to the nurturing relationships.

Babies and young children receive regular cuddles and reassurance, such as when they have a bump or are feeling unwell. Staff meet children's care needs successfully. They are highly respectful when changing children's wet clothing and when changing nappies, always asking children their permission to remove clothing and explaining what they are doing.

Clear and well-rehearsed routines throughout the nursery help children to learn the pattern of the day and expectations. Young children know that when the snack arrives, they need to wash their hands. They move to the sink, wiggle their fingers, making it known they need help.

Children gain good independence. For example, older children learn to serve their meals, dress themselves for outdoor play and to use knives safely when they prepare fruit.Children behave well.

They are well mannered, kind and polite to their friends. Staff manage behaviour well and understand which strategies work for individual children. For example, they know that some children need a relaxing space with fairy lights to calm their behaviour.

Staff help children to self-regulate, supporting them to recognise how they are feeling and providing them with visuals, sign language and words to express themselves.The passionate leadership and management team has a clear vision for the future of the nursery. The team uses self-evaluation effectively to identify areas for future development.

It offers effective professional development for staff to extend their skills, valuing their expertise. For example, most staff have attended the recent training on the new planning system and the use of 'goal sheets'. However, this is yet to be fully embedded into practice to see the impact it is having on children's learning experiences.

Leaders and managers gather parents' views and promptly address any suggestions, such as a change to the menu. There is effective communication with parents. Staff carefully consider how they can support families and children's learning at home.

Staff offer home activity bags to continue learning at home. They evaluate the impact these are having on children's learning, adapting and extending them to meet needs, such as to support oral health.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff use thorough risk assessments to ensure that children are able to play in a safe and secure environment. Staff help children to learn about safe practices by offering clear explanations. For example, children begin to understand why it is not safe to climb on a table.

There are effective arrangements to ensure that known and authorised adults collect children. Leaders and managers have good systems in place to enable safer recruitment of appropriately vetted staff. There are robust arrangements to ensure that staff remain suitable and understand the requirements of their role.

Staff have good knowledge of the possible indicators that a child is at risk of harm. The designated safeguarding leads (DLSs) understand their responsibilities to share concerns promptly and work closely with other agencies.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nembed the new curriculum to raise staff's understanding of what they want children to learn to a higher level nimprove staff interactions to extend children's learning even further.