Little Elms Daycare Greenwich

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Friendly practitioners warmly welcome children, facilitating a smooth separation from their parents. Upon entering the nursery, children display enthusiasm to begin their day. Their positive interactions with peers and practitioners demonstrate a sense of security and comfort.

Regardless of their age, the children show a strong sense of belonging and confidence. For example, children from different rooms actively engage with the inspector, share their toys and create play dough cookies for her.Leaders and practitioners are good role models.

They foster an environment that prioritises inclusivity and diversity. The impl...ementation of an effective key-person system facilitates a smooth transition for children, enabling them to progress positively from their starting points. Practitioners are attentive in addressing the needs of each child, offering supportive and nurturing care.

They maintain high standards, which motivate children to build robust relationships with the practitioners. Consequently, children are able to navigate the environment with confidence, following established routines and boundaries. Practitioners acknowledge and praise the efforts of the children, ensuring that they feel valued and supporting their emotional resilience.

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

The nursery's passionate leaders are committed to providing high-quality care and enriching learning experiences for all children. The dedicated practitioners work seamlessly as a team. They report that they feel fully supported in their roles, and have many opportunities to develop their skills through training.

Practitioners and managers hold regular meetings to discuss the curriculum and learning environment. They spend time reflecting on their practice and the children's needs. This collaborative approach ensures that all children make good progress.

The support provided for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective. Practitioners develop a strong, individualised understanding of each child's needs. They work closely with the designated leaders, outside professionals and parents to implement tailored strategies throughout the day.

This helps children with SEND to make good progress in their overall development.Practitioners know their key children well. They have a good knowledge and understanding of children's development and use this, alongside observations and assessments, to track children's progress and identify emerging needs.

Practitioners work closely with parents to ensure that support for children is consistent across all environments. Parents share their appreciation for the detailed feedback and support for their children's development. They comment on how happy their children are when attending the nursery.

Practitioners support children in conflict situations. They listen attentively to the children and provide comfort when they are upset. However, some practitioners do not acknowledge the children's feelings in these moments.

Additionally, they do not teach the children the necessary skills to resolve issues independently. This means that children do not always learn the impact of their actions on others.Practitioners are mindful of children's needs and interests and consider these when planning meaningful activities.

Practitioners create good opportunities for children to explore natural materials, such as herbs and dried slices of fruit. Children excitedly investigate these resources to enrich their sensory experiences. They use their hands to feel the different textures, and practitioners encourage them to smell the different aromas.

Practitioners nurture young children's language development by using single words, objects and singing nursery rhymes. As children get older, practitioners introduce new vocabulary and encourage them to repeat these words. For instance, during science activities, practitioners teach words such as 'pipette' and give children simple instructions to follow, which support their listening skills.

Children engage in conversation with the practitioners about what they are doing, to strengthen their language and problem-solving abilities.From a young age, children are exposed to mathematical language across the setting. Practitioners are skilled at incorporating numbers and mathematical concepts into children's play.

They take advantage of every opportunity to count with children. For instance, they count the steps with young children as they go up and down the stairs, while older children use their fingers when counting to represent numbers. Children use words associated with size and shape during their play and when talking to their friends and practitioners.

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: support practitioners in responding to children in ways that acknowledge and validate their feelings, while also teaching them about the impact that their actions have on others.