Little House of Horrors

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are greeted warmly by staff as they arrive, eager to play with their friends. Staff prioritise children's well-being. They nurture and reassure children to help them to feel safe and settled in their care, particularly when children first start at the nursery.

Children confidently explore the range of resources staff provide, including different beads and strings for threading. They develop their ability to grip the string and beads, strengthening their hand muscles in preparation for holding a pencil. Staff praise them for persevering when this is difficult.

When children have had time to play independently, ...staff capture children's eagerness to play and learn, by encouraging them to race and see who can thread the beads in a pattern quickest. Children giggle at the thought of trying to win. Staff extend children's learning further, explaining what 'dark' blue beads looks like and teaching them to count in order as they thread each bead on.

Staff support children's developing social skills. With their encouragement, children share resources and negotiate politely when they want to play with the same toy. Children develop close friendships with others and willingly invite them to join their play.

Children know what is expected from them. They tidy away their toys when staff play the 'tidy up song' and help other children who are new to the setting to join in. At snack time, children listen carefully to staff's instructions.

They wash their hands and sit patiently waiting for their friends. Children demonstrate what they have learned from staff previously as they peel their fruit and place their rubbish in the centre bowl.

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

Staff identify important information about children before they start, such as their interests and home experiences.

They use this information to help children to settle quickly and feel reassured. For example, staff read children's favourite books with them when they arrive. They encourage children to point to and explain what they know about on the page.

Staff identify what children already know and can do, and work together to plan what children need to learn next. They focus assessment and planning on different children each week. They gather up-to-date feedback on children's learning and development at home from parents and carers, in addition to what they know from their own assessments.

However, staff do not always use the information they have to fully build upon what children know and can do, particularly during child-led play. Therefore, at times children only practise their existing skills.Staff use online resources to research and plan appropriate adult-led activities.

They support children to create musical shakers for their 'song and dance' session. Staff show children how to use their fingers to pinch and place rice and glitter into an empty water bottle. Children giggle as rice hits the tray and suggest to staff, 'it sounds like rain.'

However, sometimes staff focus too closely on the desired outcome of an activity, such as children making the shaker, and do not always recognise and teach the broader skills and knowledge.Staff support children to understand and regulate their own emotions. They teach children to take some time in the 'calm corner' and support their well-being by reading a book and talking to them about what has happened.

Staff set clear expectations for children, which they help them follow at all times. They help children to understand how to keep themselves safe and make good choices. While children explore the slide inside, staff talk to them about why it would be unsafe to walk up the slide in with their socks on.

They encourage children to think about better choices they could make.Overall, staff interact well with children. They ask children questions that encourage them to share their thoughts and practise their rapidly developing speech.

Staff support children to regularly join in with a range of familiar songs and rhymes.Leaders have clear oversight of the setting and the newly appointed staff team. They have an effective on-going process in place that is used to identify what staff do well and what they need to work on next.

Leaders use this information to provide staff with the support and training they need to develop. However, this has not yet improved all staff's skills and knowledge to a consistently high standard. Therefore, some staff rely on more direction and guidance from leaders during interactions to make them meaningful for all children.

Parents comment that feedback and communication from staff is excellent and they feel fully included in their child's care and development journey at the setting.

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: develop how staff use what they know about children, particularly from assessments, to better support them with what they need to learn next during play nimprove the adult-led learning opportunities staff provide for children to further support all children to make the most progress nembed the coaching and training provided to staff, to improve the consistency of staff skills and ability.