Little Pickles

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive at the nursery happily and are immediately given a warm and enthusiastic welcome by their friends and staff.

They explore the good range of resources and settle quickly into an activity of their choosing. Children demonstrate a positive attitude to learning, such as when hurrying over to take part in adult-led activities and recalling what they learned previously with confidence. Staff are kind and calm with children and form positive relationships with them.

Babies demonstrate their feelings of security when they initiate cuddles with staff. Older children are delighted when staff join in with their ga...mes, such as pushing the toy trains around the track together and drawing around their hands.The manager and staff understand how children learn and are clear about what skills and knowledge they want children to develop.

The manager and staff plan a broad and challenging curriculum that interests children and builds on what they already know and can do. All children make good progress in preparation for their later learning, including school. Staff provide good support for children's physical skills.

They encourage babies and toddlers to crawl and walk to develop their coordination and leg strength, and they help older children across balance beams by holding their hands.

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

Since the last inspection, the provider and manager have worked hard to improve the delivery of the curriculum in the pre-school room. Staff target the children's learning needs effectively.

For example, when staff identify that some children have the same next step of increasing their vocabulary, they plan an appropriate activity for them to develop their speech and language. At times, staff do not challenge the pre-school children as well as they could during group activities to extend their learning further.Staff assess children accurately and are clear about how to support children's learning.

They plan plenty of opportunities for babies and toddlers to explore using their senses. The younger children mix paint colours together with their hands and use them to make marks on paper. They scoop bubbles into their hands and clap them together, watching with interest as the bubbles flick around the room.

Children develop good mathematical skills. They hear staff reciting number names in order from a young age and learn to copy this. Pre-school children count and confidently name 2D shapes as they make pictures with them.

Key persons know the children well and assess their development accurately, sharing detailed information with parents about their children's care and learning. Staff identify when children might benefit from additional support quickly and work with parents to seek advice from other professionals to target children's individual needs.Staff provide good support for children's communication and language development overall.

They repeat and extend the language used by babies and toddlers and model a broad vocabulary. Children benefit from learning French at the nursery and excitedly call out the words they have recently learned, such as different colours and animals. Staff engage children in detailed discussion but, on occasion, do not encourage the quieter and less confident children to speak as often to extend their language development.

Children receive consistent messages from staff about the expectations for their behaviour. With support from staff, they learn to use good manners and to share the toys. For example, children remember to say 'please' to each other when requesting a toy.

They inform their friends when they have finished playing with a toy so others can have a turn. Children listen to staff, follow their instructions and behave well.Children learn to be independent in managing their self-care needs.

Pre-school children collect their own plates, cups and cutlery at mealtimes, pour their own drinks and take themselves to the toilet when needed. Staff encourage babies and toddlers to help during nappy and clothing changes, such as by asking them to lift their arms when removing their top.Parents speak very highly about the nursery.

They feel well supported by the staff team. Parents appreciate that staff keep them informed about their children's progress and provide suggestions as to how they can continue to support the children's learning at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The provider and manager implement secure recruitment processes and ensure that suitability checks are completed for all staff. The manager and staff complete safeguarding and child protection training regularly and are familiar with the nursery's safeguarding policies and procedures. They know how to recognise the signs that might indicate a child is at risk of harm and the process to report safeguarding concerns to the relevant agencies.

Staff complete regular risk assessments to ensure the nursery is safe and secure for children. The manager deploys the staff team members well to ensure they carry out their daily tasks to meet the children's needs and provide effective support for their learning.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: strengthen the delivery of the curriculum during group activities with pre-school children to provide consistently good challenge and extend their learning further support staff to encourage the quieter and less confident children to speak more frequently, to extend their communication and language.