Little Strawberries

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children and parents are greeted warmly by the friendly and professional staff. Children settle quickly into the well-established routines of the nursery.

They develop strong attachments to their key person and staff. As a result, children feel safe and emotionally secure. Staff are caring and nurturing and create a learning environment that sparks children's curiosity.

All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress from their starting points.Children's behaviour is excellent. They are kind and considerate to each other.

For example, in the toddler room, ch...ildren find a tissue to give to their friends when they notice they need to clean their noses. Staff praise the children and say, 'that was very kind'. Children are supported well in their communication and language.

Staff provide a narrative as children play and introduce new words to support their growing vocabulary.Children benefit from opportunities to practise and build their large-muscle skills and spatial awareness in the large garden. They confidently navigate the space, being careful not to bump into their friends.

Older children jump on the trampoline and learn how to use the swings independently. Children learn about wildlife and nature. For example, they participate in bug hunts and help to plant and harvest vegetables.

Children learn about cultures and traditions that are different to their own. Staff plan enjoyable activities to celebrate festivals such as Chinese New Year and Diwali. This helps children to develop an awareness of the diverse world in which they live.

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

The experienced manager is enthusiastic and dedicated to providing children with the best possible start in their education. She works alongside her two deputy managers, who are passionate about their roles and share the strong vision for the nursery and strive for continuous improvement.The manager has developed a broad curriculum that focuses on children's interests and what it is they need to learn next.

Overall, staff implement the curriculum well. However, staff do not always provide additional challenge for the most able children in order to support their learning even further. For example, as pre-school children enjoy a paint printing activity, staff step in to write children's names on their work rather than encouraging them to have a go themselves.

Parent partnerships are strong. Staff communicate daily with parents, both face- to-face and through an online learning journal. Parents are kept informed on the progress their children make and the care they receive.

Written feedback from parents is complimentary. They write that their children love being at the nursery and feel reassured in the knowledge that their children are safe and cared for.Children are supported from a young age to develop a love of books.

Toddlers listen intently to staff as they read stories with enthusiasm and good intonation. They answer questions, such as how the characters in the story might be feeling. This helps children to develop an awareness of their own and other's feelings and emotions.

Staff provide opportunities for children to experience messy play activities and explore different textures and colours. For example, babies have lots of fun as they use their hands and fingers to explore foam in a sensory activity. They babble and giggle as staff clap their hands together and foam sprays over them.

Pre-school children are confident and develop good social skills. They enjoy working together to complete jigsaw puzzles. For example, children help each other to find the missing pieces of a jigsaw and celebrate with staff when they complete the puzzle.

However, on occasion, staff are quick to tell the children which piece of the jigsaw they need to fit correctly into the puzzle. This limits the opportunities for children to problem solve, make predictions and test out their own ideas.The manager works in collaboration with other professionals working with the children to provide targeted support, ensuring that children's individual needs are met.

The manager has established excellent links with teachers from the local primary schools. She invites them into the setting to visit the children and share good practice on how they teach in school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have a good understanding of how to safeguard children in their care. They are aware of the signs and symptoms that may indicate a child is at risk of harm. Staff show an awareness of wider safeguarding concerns, such as the risks of children being exposed to extremist views and female genital mutilation.

They are confident in the procedures to follow in reporting any concerns they might have about the welfare of a child or the conduct of a colleague. The manager follows robust recruitment procedures to ensure staff are suitable to work with children.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nenhance staff's understanding of how to provide a higher level of challenge for the most able children, to help extend their learning even further provide more opportunities for children to solve problems, predict outcomes and test out their ideas.