Tiddley Tots Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Staff provide a friendly, safe and welcoming atmosphere for children and their families. Children arrive happily, settle in quickly and are familiar with the daily routine. Staff regularly observe children and use assessments to check their progress.

They plan a curriculum that follows individual children's interests and supports their play and helps them develop across all areas of learning. Staff caringly meet children's needs and have high expectations for them. Children form strong bonds with their key person, as well as the wider staff team.

Children behave well and are kind and considerate to each other. Older ch...ildren learn to help care for younger children. For instance, during their daily routines such as sleep time, helping take off their shoes and patting them off to sleep.

This gives children a strong sense of belonging, values them as individuals and promotes their self-esteem.Staff identify the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic on some children's learning and development. They recognise children have spent limited time away from their parents, with some children who have experienced lengthy absences from the nursery.

Staff sensitively provide additional support to help children quickly make good progress in their personal, social and emotional development. This helps children to develop confidence, independence and secure attachments with staff and others.

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

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well.

Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children get the required levels of support they need. Staff use individualised plans effectively to focus on the skills children need to acquire to help them make the best possible progress.Staff are good role models and give children clear explanations of expectations for behaviour.

Children readily share, take turns and follow instructions. Staff encourage children to learn about different cultures and other countries. Children learn to respect and value one another.

Staff place a strong emphasis on establishing and building good relationships with parents. They find out about babies' and toddler's home routines to provide consistent care for them. Staff help parents to support their child's learning at home.

Parents speak very positively about the staff's support and commitment to provide their child with the best possible start.Staff plan activities that support children to learn about healthy eating. Children learn how to grow and care for vegetables in the outdoor space.

This helps to increase children's understanding of healthy eating and the natural environment.Staff work closely with parents to assess what children already know and can do. They quickly notice when children fall behind in any area of learning.

For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, staff recognise that many children need to regain confidence and improve their independence skills.Staff use children's interests as well as using more focused activities to plan for individual children to help support their specific learning needs. Occasionally, staff do not make the most of incidental learning opportunities that arise during children's play to help them extend their thinking and curiosity.

Staff work very closely with a range of partner professionals to help support children's learning and well-being. They complete the progress check for children aged between two and three years, together with health visitors at the nursery. This helps to ensure that assessment of children's development is precise.

The manager supports staff well. For instance, she monitors their workloads and gives them regular periods of time away from the children to prepare planning and complete assessments. The manager regularly meets with staff individually to discuss work performance and training needs.

Staff support children's language development well. They talk to children as they play and help them to understand through appropriate questioning. However, there are times when staff miss opportunities to develop children's vocabulary during everyday routines and activities.

Leaders and managers continually reflect on and improve what they do, to meet the changing needs of the children and their families. They promote a culture of reflective practice and self-evaluation among the staff team, and involve them in the implementation and impact this has for children's learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The management team implements robust procedures to ensure the suitability of all staff, including those who are new to the nursery. Staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe. They receive regular updates and training on safeguarding and child protection and are aware of wider safeguarding issues.

All staff are confident in the procedures to follow should an allegation be made against a member of staff. Staff complete daily checks and risk assessments that help to provide children with a safe environment.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: nimprove incidental opportunities that arise to promote interesting conversations and encourage children to share their opinions nextend children's vocabulary during their everyday play and routines to support and enhance their language and communication skills.