Little Giants Nursery, Brunel

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive happy and eager to start their day.

Staff welcome children with a warm and friendly smile. They allow children time to settle before beginning to explore the creatively presented activities that they have planned. Children maintain their focus as activities are interesting and staff link them to children's interests.

Staff use their observations and knowledge of their key children to devise tailored, individual next steps for children's development. Staff swiftly identify children who require additional help or children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and make referrals for sup...port, with parental consent. Children's behaviour is good.

Staff say 'please' and 'thank you' and demonstrate kind and respectful interactions for children to observe and follow. Staff encourage children to be independent. For example, all children serve themselves at snack times and mealtimes.

Staff support older children to use their knife and fork, and show them how to cut the food up into manageable pieces. There is a hum of conversation at mealtimes, which are social events where children and staff eat together. Younger children benefit from staff narrating and commenting on what they are doing.

Older children discuss their favourite meals. They share experiences from home, such as who cooks, and enjoy talking about the treat they may have at the weekend.

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

Senior leaders have actively reflected on the setting's curriculum.

They have simplified the planning, such as using a familiar story to develop children's understanding of growth and change. Children plant seeds and watch how they develop. They link this learning to the fruit that caterpillars eat.

Staff also plan activities that link to all areas of the setting's curriculum. They teach children to stay healthy, such as by eating healthily, and plan a visit from a dentist to promote children's awareness of oral health. They sequence children's learning and build on what children already know.

Partnership working is highly effective. Since the last inspection, staff have made links with the local authority's early years advisers and SEND support team. Additional training has developed staff's confidence and skills.

Staff include children who need extra support in focused groups and activities and use strategies to support their attention and listening skills and communication. This ensures that children make good or better progress.Children's emotional well-being is a high priority in this setting.

Key persons complete forms with parents to get to know them and their child. Children are made to feel special. For instance, staff sing children's favourite songs and use familiar resources to support them as they settle in.

They plan snacks and meals to include foods that children like and enjoy. Staff go out of their way to ensure that they provide food that they know children will eat. Children settle quickly and build secure relationships with staff.

Staff embed routines in the setting. Older children independently prepare for outside play by collecting and putting on their shoes. All children wash their hands in preparation for meals and snacks.

Children use tongs to serve themselves, and pour their own drinks. Pre-school children self-register by placing their name card onto the registration board. Staff give children lots of praise and encouragement to support their self-confidence.

Partnership with parents is a strength of the nursery. Staff build strong, trusting and informative relationships with parents, who speak very positively about the setting. Parents say that they enjoy being involved in their children's learning.

They attend activities, such as afternoon tea for Mother's day. Parents have termly discussions with staff about children's progress and work together to develop children's skills, such as toilet training.Since the last inspection, leaders have reflected on and reviewed the delivery of the curriculum as staff were finding planning complicated and time-consuming.

Leaders have implemented changes, which have had a positive impact for staff. They clearly display individualised next steps in learning for each child. This enables staff to plan activities with different aims for children at different stages of development.

However, leaders acknowledge that they still need time to embed the new practice.Leaders are flexible and have tailored the setting to respond to challenges, such as the recruitment and retention of staff. They recognise the need to build their team, identify staff's strengths, and support them to gain professional qualifications.

Leaders have a 'promote from within' ethos, and offer staff support through mentoring. This has enabled staff to become room leads or to join the senior management team. Staff morale and job satisfaction are incredibly high as staff feel valued and part of a team.

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: monitor the impact of the changes made to planning, and ensure that systems are in place for ongoing reflection and continuous improvement of practice.