A-Class Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop strong, nurturing relationships with staff at this warm and welcoming nursery. Staff ensure children feel safe and secure from the moment they settle in. This helps them to become confident learners. Staff plan a broad and stimulating curriculum, that builds on children's knowledge over time. They know what children need to learn and generally take account of children's individual learning and development needs.

Children listen carefully to staff instructions and understand what is expected of them during the day. For example, children line up when it is time to go inside for lunch and wait patiently until it is their turn to wash their hands. They are kind and considerate to each other and know how to share resources appropriately. Children's physical development is well supported. They enjoy playing in the outside area, running, riding the tricycles and balancing carefully on the equipment.

Staff have a strong focus on personal, social and emotional development across the nursery. They identified that children were less confident in this area when they returned to nursery after the COVID-19 pandemic. To support them, staff reorganised the learning environment and provided activities that encouraged children to play together in smaller groups. This helped children to take account of others and improved their social skills.

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

• Staff know the children very well, including those who need additional support. They observe them regularly to assess what they can do and to identify many of the skills they need to learn next. Planning focuses on any gaps in children's learning and experiences. Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is good. Potential issues are identified early on and external support and advice is sought when necessary. Parents are fully involved in the process.
• Managers generally understand what they want the children to learn and implement their intent across the nursery. Before children settle in, staff discuss individual children's interests and learning needs with their parents. Activities and experiences are then planned that take account of these areas, helping children make good progress, overall, from their starting points.
• Staff effectively support children's communication skills. They use songs and rhymes to develop children's understanding of common words and language patterns. They speak slowly and clearly to children, repeating words and modelling sentences, so that they hear the correct way to say them. Children who speak English as an additional language are encouraged to speak their home language and staff use words and phrases to encourage them.
• Children confidently explore the environment and activities. However, they are not always encouraged to do things for themselves and opportunities to develop children's independence skills are sometimes missed. For example, staff put on aprons for the children and pour water for them at lunchtime, rather than letting them do these things for themselves.
• Staff promote children's good health. Children learn about, and can recognise, what are healthy and non-healthy foods and talk to staff about the differences. They understand the importance of regular physical activity and know why they should look after their teeth.
• Overall, children are focused and concentrate for extended periods of time. However, older children sometimes lose interest in activities and resources as they are not as challenging as they could be. Staff do not always extend children's learning to a high enough level when working with them.
• Regular local visits support children's understanding of the area in which they live. Cultural differences are explored through discussion and celebrations. For example, children recently celebrated Chinese New Year and take part in an annual 'International Day'. Children understand their own uniqueness and the fact that not everyone has the same beliefs and cultural traditions.
• The staff team works together effectively. Staff report they feel supported by their managers and feel that their well-being is always taken into account. Staff undertake regular training initiatives and implement what they learn so that the children benefit. Parents are very complimentary about the nursery and staff. They fully appreciate the efforts of staff to support them and their children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• promote children's independence skills further by encouraging and supporting them to do more things for themselves
• develop staff practice so they understand how to extend and deepen older children's learning, including how activities and resources can provide challenge.