Little Hummingbird Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

The nursery is a welcoming, happy place where staff help children to enjoy and achieve. Staff know the needs of the children they care for very well.

They use this information to plan and provide an exciting curriculum to help all children make good progress and feel safe and ready to learn. Babies, toddlers and pre-school children all have close bonds with staff. Staff help even the youngest children to take steps towards independence.

For example, babies learn to feed themselves with gentle support from staff.Staff thoroughly support children's literacy development. They use their expert knowledge of how letters and ...sounds work together to support children to recognise the letters that make different speech sounds.

Children enjoy pressing and pushing their hands into dough, helping to build their small muscles. Staff help children to use a pincer grip to pick up and post pegs into boards, refining their hand control in readiness for early writing. Older children, who have developed strong hand control, deftly use writing materials and show visitors how they can form the shapes to make different letters.

They proudly announce that they have made a 'd' and demonstrate the steps they took to make the letter.

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

The provider/manager has a good understanding of the strengths of the nursery and areas where she wants to continue development. She monitors staff practice closely, giving supportive coaching and encouragement so that staff's skills continuously improve.

Staff report that they love working at the nursery. They appreciate the flexibility that the manager offers them in their working life, and they thoroughly enjoy coming to work.Children rapidly learn to climb, balance and stretch as they explore the outdoor play equipment.

Other children go for interesting walks with staff, where they explore their outdoor surroundings. They show a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, as they learn from staff's reminders to be careful as they walk next to a canal and take care when crossing a small bridge. Staff assess the risks of outdoor play and outings particularly well.

They promote children's safety and well-being throughout all activities as they supervise them closely, including when outdoors.Staff sit with children to promote good mealtime habits, and children enjoy chatting about what they and their friends have to eat. Babies get very excited as staff place them safely into highchairs.

Babies enjoy spending time with the older children and copy their good example as they try to feed themselves with spoons. Babies smile broadly at the children and adults around them, and they make noises as they join in with the conversation. Staff speak to babies with care, making sure they can see their faces to copy the movements they make when they speak, in support of their early communication skills.

Staff all have a secure understanding of how to support children to be ready for the next stage in learning, including a move to school. For example, they develop children's independence skills with gentle support. Staff encourage children to have another try when they find things hard, such as when they find it tricky to put their shoes on.

Children know how to put rubbish into the bin, opening it by using the pedal with their feet. They show good levels of self-control and wait patiently with their friends as they line up to wash their hands. Children take responsibility for their own hygiene as they learn from staff about how to keep themselves healthy.

Parents give high praise to the dedication of the staff. They comment on how well the staff know their children, how well the manager has supported them and how well their children have settled in. They comment on the good progress their children make while at nursery and how well they feel supported to continue their child's learning at home.

While, overall, children are well engaged in meaningful learning throughout their day, occasionally, such as in the time just before lunch, this is less successful. At these times, while staff are busy bringing children in from outdoor play, noise levels rise and some children become restless.Staff support children to learn proficient language skills.

For example, a child points to two apples, stating 'apple and apple'. The staff member explains how to add the 's' to 'apples' because there is more than one. Staff ensure that they speak correctly and clearly to support children's confident speech development.

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: review the planning of the period leading up to lunch to support staff to engage more successfully with children at these times.