Abacus Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in the care of attentive and nurturing staff. They feel safe and secure, which is evident in their confidence when interacting with visitors and choosing their own activities. Staff organise the learning environments based on children's age groups. This enables staff to provide targeted support to children related to their next steps in development effectively. Staff plan the curriculum around what children need to learn next, supporting their progress through child-led play. They place a strong emphasis on developing children's communication and language skills. Staff provide a running commentary during children's play. They introduce new vocabulary, and respond positively to children's attempts at communication. This helps children to become confident communicators.

Children behave well and respond to the clear and age-appropriate expectations that staff set. They listen attentively to instructions. Staff support children to develop important social skills, such as sharing and taking turns. Children take pride in their achievements. For example, they enjoy building houses using a variety of differently shaped wooden blocks in the outdoor garden. Staff plan this activity following children's interest in local construction work that they observe during community outings. Children show excitement when their structures fall, then demonstrate persistence and problem-solving skills as they rebuild them.

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

• Leaders provide effective supervision sessions and coaching. These help staff to conduct confident observations and assessments. Leaders provide personalised training to support staff's professional growth and enable them to plan a curriculum that builds sequentially on children's skills. Staff feel valued as their views are considered when evaluating the effectiveness of the setting. This results in purposeful planning and consistent progress across all learning areas.
• Leaders and staff work effectively with external professionals to help children to achieve their full potential. They make good use of early years pupil premium funding, such as providing resources for children to practise targeted skills with their parents at home. Staff provide individualised plans to ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive tailored support. As a result, children make strong progress.
• Staff support children to brush their teeth after meals. They engage children in conversations about dental hygiene, using terms, such as 'cavity' and 'plaque', to build their understanding. Staff ensure that children's lunches are nutritious and meet their individual needs, including allergies and dietary requirements. This supports children to develop healthy routines and an early awareness of self-care.
• Staff provide children with access to a wide range of books throughout the day. They regularly read stories, encouraging children to turn pages and point to pictures. Children also explore books independently during their play. This supports children's early literacy development.
• Children of all ages access the garden to support their physical development. Older children take part in activities, such as football, climbing, balancing and running games, that build their strength and coordination. Babies also use the outdoor area. However, staff have not considered how their experiences are less physically engaging and purposeful, compared to those of older children.
• Leaders and staff plan local outings to places, such as forest school, the library and the farm. They uses these trips to enrich children's learning, deepen their understanding and develop their physical skills.
• Children develop good mathematics skills through their play. For example, staff encourage children to sort colours and shapes. Children count confidently and describe shapes, such as octagons, in real-life contexts.
• Overall, staff support children well to develop their independence. They encourage children to make choices during their play, with babies confidently crawling to low-level shelves to select books and toys of interest. Older children manage aspects of their self-care, such as washing their hands after using the toilet. However, staff do not consistently promote children's independence during mealtimes.
• Staff build strong partnerships with parents and carers. They share the focus for upcoming learning and deliver workshops to support children's learning at home. Staff also hold events such as a 'flower show' where parents celebrate children's achievements. This collaboration promotes continuity of learning and boosts children's self-esteem.
• Parents say their children thoroughly enjoy attending the setting. They value the regular updates on their child's learning and progress, which strengthens home learning and reinforces positive parent partnerships.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• monitor the curriculum for babies' outdoor play more closely to provide a richer range of play experiences to further support babies' learning and development
• provide opportunities to further promote children's independence at mealtimes.