Little Treasures

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children are happy and settled at this warm and welcoming nursery. They develop secure relationships with the kind and caring staff.

Children independently access a wide range of good-quality toys and resources, indoors and outdoors. They are excited to play and motivated to learn. Babies enthusiastically make sounds with musical instruments and press buttons on toys to make them move and make noise.

Young children use their imagination while they dress up as a firefighter. They carefully choose resources, such as a small hose, to aid their play. Children make good progress in their learning and development.

C...hildren listen attentively and follow instructions from staff while they excitedly move their bodies to music. They develop good physical skills when they stomp their feet and wriggle their bodies to the sounds they hear. Children are independent and take responsibility for their belongings.

When returning inside from the garden, they take off their coats, hang them on their peg and quickly engage in their chosen play activity. Young children are beginning to talk about their feelings and select pictures, such as a happy or sad face, to demonstrate how they feel today. The managers have changed some aspects of daily practice following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as introducing doorstep drop-off and collection arrangements.

Children adapted well to the changes and arrive happy and ready to play.

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

Leaders and managers have a clear and ambitious vision for providing high-quality childcare and education. They continually use action plans to develop the service they provide and improve achievements for children.

Enthusiastic and friendly staff have a good understanding of how children learn and develop. They use their knowledge of what children know and can do to plan an interesting curriculum. They base this around children's individual interests and next steps in learning.

However, at times, planned next steps in children's learning are too broad and not precise enough to help children to make even better progress.Staff support children's early literacy skills well. Children independently access a range of books and mark-making resources.

Staff sit alongside children and engage them in meaningful conversations while they draw pictures together. Staff enthusiastically read to children. They use different tones in their voices to excite and engage them.

Staff morale is high. Staff state they feel valued and well supported, both personally and professionally. The staff work well together and report that they feel happy in their roles.

They meet regularly with the management team to speak about their well-being and identify further training needs. Managers support staff's professional development well. However, they do not monitor staff's practice consistently to help to raise the quality of teaching to the highest level.

Staff tailor settling-in sessions to meet children's individual needs. As a result, children quickly settle and enjoy their time at the nursery. Staff follow children's sleep routines from home.

Children sleep peacefully in comfortable surroundings. Staff regularly check on them to ensure they are safe and well. Babies and young children receive lots of cuddles from the caring staff.

This supports their emotional well-being and sense of belonging.Staff's relationships with parents are good. Staff share information with parents about their children's care needs and achievements in a range of ways.

For example, they speak to them at the beginning and end of the day, and remind them to view their children's online learning records. Parents are very happy with the care and education their children receive. Their comments include that staff are 'lovely', the curriculum is 'purposeful' and that their children 'love attending'.

Children behave well and are developing a sense of right and wrong. Staff give clear explanations as to what is expected of them. They remind children of the nursery rules, such as to share and take turns.

Children learn good manners. Staff remind them to say 'please' and 'thank you'. Staff offer children lots of praise and encouragement, which boosts their confidence and self-esteem.

Managers and staff work closely with families and other professionals to ensure children who need extra support continue to make good progress. They use additional funding, such as early years pupil premium, effectively. For example, staff, provide one-to-one support and resources to aid children's learning and development.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Managers and staff understand their role and responsibility to keep children safe from harm. They supervise children well and ensure that unauthorised people cannot enter the premises.

Staff help children to learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, they teach children how to use knives safely to cut up fruit for snack. Staff have a secure understanding of child protection and safeguarding issues.

They know the correct procedures to follow should they have any concerns about a child's welfare. Robust recruitment and vetting procedures help to ensure that 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: focus even more closely on children's individual next steps in learning to help children to make even better progress strengthen ways to monitor staff's practice effectively to embed their already good skills and knowledge and raise the quality of teaching to the highest level.