Little Owls

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children thrive in this nurturing and inclusive nursery.

There are extremely effective settling-in arrangements, so children get to know staff and the nursery routines. Children quickly form very strong attachments to their key person. Nursery leaders know that children have potentially been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

They have embedded new ways to support children's emotional well-being, which have proved to be successful. Children demonstrate much respect for the nursery environment and take care of resources. They learn about the importance of caring for the natural world and living things.

Staff te...ach them about the harmful effects of plastic in rivers and seas. Children observe, at first hand, the life cycles of animals. They look closely at tadpoles as they begin to turn into tiny frogs.

Staff take children to a local pond to release the frogs into their natural habitat.Staff place a high priority on supporting children's understanding of healthy foods. They encourage children to use their senses as they explore a selection of fruits.

Children talk about the different colours and textures. They express much surprise when they discover a blueberry is green inside. Staff sensitively encourage children to taste fruits that they have not tried before.

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

Staff promote friendly relationships across the nursery. During group times, children learn each other's names. Children are encouraged to share popular resources and take turns.

They show, by their good behaviour, that they feel happy and safe in the nursery.Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. The skilled special educational needs coordinator works closely with parents and other professionals.

She ensures children rapidly get any additional help required, so they can continue to learn.Partnerships with parents are a strength of the nursery. Parents value the excellent ways that the nursery communicate with them.

They are given useful information to promote learning at home, including how to support children's language development. They praise the committed and caring staff team.Nursery leaders plan regular supervision meetings for staff.

They have invested in online training for staff's individual professional development needs. However, they are not currently focused on supporting staff to develop their skills and knowledge, to raise the good levels of teaching to consistently outstanding.Children demonstrate what they have learned as they play.

They draw pictures of caterpillars and butterflies after having reared some in nursery. They remember new words, such as 'cocoon', as they recall the life cycle of a butterfly. Staff reinforce this by reading appropriate books to children.

Children develop a good understanding of the world around them and have the vocabulary to talk about their experiences confidently.Staff observe children's interests and know what they need to learn next. Less confident children are sensitively helped by their key person to engage in new activities.

Staff make sure the resources and activities are interesting, so that children are excited to learn.When it is an appropriate time for the younger children to move to the next room, staff make sure that this important change is carefully organised. This supports children's confidence in managing new situations effectively.

Nursery leaders oversee a well-sequenced curriculum focused on giving children a broad range of experiences. Staff identify children's starting points with parents and ensure the curriculum is matched to individual needs. Children make good progress over time and are prepared for the next stage in their learning as they move on to school.

Staff teach the children about different cultural backgrounds. Children discover that some cultures have different ways of writing words. Staff show them books that have words written in a range of languages and scripts.

They invite visitors into the nursery, who show children how different letters are written. Children are delighted to see their names written in a Chinese script. They begin to understand aspects of the world beyond their own communities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.The safeguarding lead for the nursery ensures all staff are suitably trained. She keeps staff updated on any changes, including regular reviews of relevant policies.

Staff know the signs that would cause them to be concerned about a child. They describe the procedures they would follow to report these concerns or the behaviour of a colleague. All staff have rigorous checks to ensure they are suitable to work with children.

Staff teach children how to keep themselves safe, for example, on hot days, they ensure children have suitable sun protection. Children are always well supervised by staff.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: focus professional development opportunities for staff to raise the quality of teaching to the highest levels.