Little Gems Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is outstanding

Staff have high expectations for every child. They provide children with an exceptionally exciting, challenging and stimulating learning environment.

Staff focus strongly on helping children to enjoy learning, and their inspirational teaching enables children to make the best possible progress. Staff enthusiastically join in children's play. Older children are extremely interested in conducting experiments.

They concentrate very well, respond to questions, learn about number, and predict the reason for differences in size, such as while watching balloons inflate over containers which they fill with vinegar and b...icarbonate of soda. Younger children also enjoy making discoveries, for instance, while searching for toy animals hidden in shaving foam. There is an extremely strong focus on supporting children's sensory development.

Children enthusiastically work together to mix sand, water and other items in a large builder's tray and say they are making 'the biggest mud pie ever'. Children behave exceptionally well. Staff introduce numerous initiatives that support children to understand their own and other people's feelings.

This successfully helps children to learn to share from a very young age. Children are exceptionally happy and safe in the nursery. Staff supervise children very well.

They are extremely well deployed to meet children's individual needs and keep them safe and secure in the premises. Managers regularly evaluate accident records to identify any trends and inform risk assessments.

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

Children make excellent progress from their starting points.

Managers and staff have an exemplary knowledge and understanding of the curriculum and strive to make it ambitious for all children. Every child has an individual learning plan, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff consult with parents about all aspects of their children's care, learning and development.

They regularly provide parents with activity ideas to continue children's learning at home.Staff plan a wide range of activities that provide children with excellent opportunities to understand the world. For instance, children thoroughly enjoy planting, growing and harvesting vegetables in the nursery garden, which they use to make soup.

Children watch ducklings hatch and help to look after stick insects.Staff enthusiastically respond to children's choices and interests to successfully promote all areas of their development, including their language development.Babies rapidly develop their understanding and listening skills and frequently try to copy words they hear staff using during their play.

Older children thoroughly enjoy singing and using related actions. Children remember and use what they have been taught. For example, children learn how to operate a colour-changing bubble machine in the sensory room and enjoy repeating games such as 'What's the time Mr Wolf?' Children's individual care needs are extremely well met.

All areas of the premises are extremely clean and well organised. Staff give children plenty of time to explore and develop physical skills. Children thoroughly enjoy playing in an outdoor mud kitchen and construction area.

Staff are exceptional role models. They treat children with great kindness and respect, and respond very patiently to any behavioural incidents. They consistently talk with children and ask them how they feel, to help them understand their different emotions.

Children form close friendships and learn to appreciate diversity.The quality of support for children with SEND and those in receipt of pupil premium funding is excellent. Managers carefully consider how funding is used to target and support children's individual development.

For example, they have obtained a wonderful wooden 'hobbit house' that has significantly developed children's confidence, language and social skills. The nursery inclusion development manager works extremely well with children, parents, staff and other agencies such as physiotherapists to rapidly reduce gaps in children's development.Managers skilfully train their staff to the highest level.

The extremely well-qualified staff have an exceptional understanding of their key children's individual needs and how to meet them. The manager prioritises her time exceptionally well, to enable her to spend as much time as possible observing practice and coaching and supporting staff. She skilfully evaluates and continually improves the excellent teaching practice.

There are excellent regular training opportunities for staff to continually improve their professional development. Managers give top priority to supporting staff's well-being.Children successfully develop the knowledge and skills they need for future learning.

Staff provide an exceptional range of activities that successfully develop children's interest in books. Children take familiar books home to share with their family and friends. Staff make excellent use of exciting resources to teach children the sounds of letters and rhyming words.

They work extremely well in partnership with parents to develop children's independence, including toilet training.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff have an excellent understanding of how to protect children and keep them safe, including reporting any safeguarding concerns to other agencies.

They regularly complete training, to keep their exemplary knowledge of safeguarding up to date. There are excellent procedures in place, which staff fully understand, to support children's well-being. Staff vigilantly follow accident recording and reporting procedures and carefully risk assess every aspect of children's care.

For example, staff have reorganised the baby room, to give younger children more space to move around freely and safely. Staff focus very strongly on teaching children how to stay safe. For example, during outings, they help older children learn to avoid thorns while picking blackberries to make pies.