Little Walkers Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Leaders and staff have given careful consideration to how they progress children through their development milestones. For example, from babies to pre-school, leaders have a developmental approach to helping children to build their emotional regulation. Staff ensure that babies feel secure enough, so they can be reassured with nurturing cuddles.

Two-year-old children learn to label their feelings, and staff help pre-school children to understand about their emotions. Children show they feel safe and secure in the care of the nurturing staff. They understand what is expected of them, such as telling staff when they go to use the... toilets and sitting sensibly to eat at mealtimes.

All children, including those with special educational needs and or/disabilities (SEND), make good progress from their starting points. Staff recognise how to adjust their teaching for children at different stages of their development, for example, adjusting the level of language they use to offer support or vocabulary enrichment. Staff draw on a range of teaching methods to enhance children's play.

This includes use of questioning, recall and listening to children. For example, staff are skilled in encouraging children's language through imaginary play, such as a visit to the beach. Staff working with babies model language as they provide a commentary for what they are doing.

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

Leaders have been proactive in making improvements since the last inspection. They have recently made changes to their arrangements for gathering information from parents when children first start and have enhanced their outdoor provision.Leaders have improved the arrangements to monitor staff's practice and to provide them with effective coaching and training.

This has helped to make improvements in the quality of the education for children. However, leaders do not yet reflect precisely on all aspects of staff's practice to identify where they need further support to provide children with education experiences that are of a consistently high quality.Parent partnerships are positive.

Staff keep parents updated about their child's daily needs and progress and encourage a two-way dialogue. This helps to provide continuity for children and a settled transition from home to nursery. Parents say how staff at the nursery are 'all about the children'.

The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with all relevant outside agencies to provide children with tailored learning programs that reflect their specific needs. These include adjusting the staffing arrangements when children need to be in a higher adult-to-child ratio. Staff are deployed effectively to meet children's needs.

Staff are successful in helping children to make good progress in their learning. They understand the curriculum they teach and the individual needs of the children. However, staff do not identify precisely how each child prefers to play and what it is they specifically want individual children to learn from the activities they plan.

Leaders and staff plan the learning environment that successfully engages children in their play. Children are well motivated to play and learn. Babies eagerly use their hands and feet to explore dried cereal.

Staff model different ways of playing with the cereal, and babies copy their actions and language. Outdoors, babies and older children have separate play areas where they can access age-related play equipment. They benefit from opportunities to be physically active, such as climbing and learning to pedal bikes.

Leaders and staff place a strong focus on the use of books to deliver their curriculum. Pre-school children understand about a range of traditional stories. They discuss what the story characters say as they draw pictures of them.

Two-year old children concentrate well as they access books independently. Staff encourage a love of books, and parents can access a lending library to support children's reading at home.Staff support children's health well.

They implement good hygiene routines and help children to understand about limiting the spread of germs. Children have access to drinking water, and they enjoy the nutritious meals.Children develop good social skills.

In the pre-school room, staff place a strong focus on supporting collaborative play. Children are very keen to build towers with their friends. They take on roles of customer and shopkeeper in the garden centre role-play area.

Staff help children to explore their similarities and differences as children draw self-portraits. Two-year-old children and babies show an interest in what the other children are doing and seek to interact with them. Staff support children's play, including helping children to understand about sharing and taking turns.

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: focus the monitoring of staff's practice to identify where they need further support to embed the positive improvements made and provide children with the highest quality of education nuse information from observations of children's achievements to plan precisely for their learning needs and learning preferences.