Mini Me’Zzz Childcare

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Leaders place children's well-being and happiness at the centre of everything they do. They hold children's confidence, security and sense of belonging in the highest regard. Children run in the gate in the morning, keen to join their friends.

They are highly motivated learners, who eagerly explore their surroundings. The atmosphere is filled with fun and lively chatter. Staff's enthusiastic approach contributes to children's remarkable involvement and concentration during activities.

Staff reviewed and amended their ambitious curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic to incorporate more time for children to be outdoors.... Leaders observed a positive impact on children's learning and continued this new approach. Although this is still being embedded, it successfully helps all children to learn and remember more.

Children achieve well and develop new skills quickly. Babies giggle and smile as water runs over their hands and between their fingers. They develop confidence to take their first steps, encouraged by supportive staff, who know them well.

Toddlers hunt for a bear while acting out a familiar story. They squeal with delight and roar along when they instruct a speaker to play the sound that a bear makes. Older children cooperate and become engrossed in their play.

Together, they pretend to make a chocolate cake, mixing mud and water in the outdoor kitchen.

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

Children's learning is, overall, very well supported. Occasionally, however, when key staff are not present, plans for some children's learning are less focused.

Staff do not always share precise information with others to ensure that their teaching consistently meets children's individual learning needs.Staff plan activities which reflect, and build on, children's life experiences. For example, they developed a construction area to incorporate children's interest in a local building site.

Staff have provided a wildlife area for children who may not have experienced this outside of nursery.Staff weave numbers and counting into activities and routines. For example, they teach children the meaning of 'half' while cutting up raspberries for a snack.

This is a strength in staff's teaching and is reflected by children's very good abilities in mathematics.Staff support children's language skills well. They use simple, clear words with babies and richer language with older children to help them to extend their vocabulary.

For example, children discuss how the words 'erased, vanished' and disappeared' mean the same thing, when washing away marks which they make on the pavement.Staff are keen to take part in professional development. However, leaders have not yet secured ways to check the impact this has on staff's teaching, to help to raise the quality of education to even higher levels.

Parents consider themselves to be part of the 'Mini Me'Zzz Family'. They commend staff for their patience, advice and for working in partnership with them.Children develop good self-care skills.

For example, staff provide them with a mirror and cloth to clean their own face after meals. They understand the importance of good hygiene routines and tell visitors that they must wash their hands to get rid of the germs.The nursery is a welcoming space, where every child is valued.

Staff plan carefully to ensure that care and learning plans for all children, including children with special educational needs and/or a disabilities, help them to achieve well and raise their self-esteem.Staff model good manners and respect. Children are kind to one another and behave well.

They learn to take turns, share and develop friendships with others.Children's emotional well-being and sense of security is a priority for staff. They help children to understand their feelings and frustrations, for example, by joining in activities in the 'feelings corner'.

Staff use stories and puppets to help children to understand and express their emotions.Leaders are committed to ongoing reviews of their provision. This contributes to their excellent capacity for continuous improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Leaders and staff know how to identify and respond to children at risk from harm or abuse. There are clear and appropriate procedures in place to deal with concerns about staff's suitability.

Staff are deployed effectively to ensure that children are well supervised at all times. They follow clear procedures to keep children safe during routines, for example when sleeping and eating. Staff teach children to identify and manage risks.

For example, children identify nettles in the garden and understand that they must not touch them. This helps children to learn to keep themselves safe.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: support key staff to share more detailed information about their intentions for children's learning, to ensure that highly focused teaching is even more consistent check that staff's learning from professional development opportunities translates swiftly and consistently into improvements in practice.

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