Abbey Children Centre Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are active and busy at the nursery. They choose from a large range of stimulating and exciting resources. Children play with staff in all areas of the nursery. For example, they sit on the floor and play with vehicles, crawl around with staff on a bear hunt and learn how to ride wheeled toys in the garden. Children are happy and feel safe. They have very strong relationships with staff who know them well.

Children's language development is well supported. For example, older children listen to stories, sing songs and chat to staff. In the baby room, the youngest children clap excitedly as they sing the hello song. Children are learning to express themselves.

Children are encouraged to think about their feelings. They join in with lots of activities that help them to develop self-control skills. For example, children enjoy playing with the 'attention bucket'. They learn to listen and concentrate. Staff ask the children probing questions to help them find out what is in the bucket. Children gasp with delight as they discover a stretchy ball hiding inside.

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

• Managers and staff get to know the children well. Staff conduct home visits with the children before they start at the nursery. This helps them to find out about children's previous experiences. Staff use this information to create a curriculum that considers the learning needs of all children in the setting.
• Managers and staff regularly assess what children know and can do. They rigorously plan activities for children to choose from that consider their next steps. Children practise a range of skills. This supports them to meet their developmental milestones.
• Managers and staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities very effectively. They identify children who may need additional support. Staff work with external agencies to ensure that all children receive early help when required. All children make good progress.
• Staff support children's language skills extremely well. They engage with children in a positive way. For example, in the role-play area, children cut up vegetables. Staff support children to learn new words, such as by asking, 'Can you find the heart of the cabbage?' Children repeat the new language and use it in their play.
• Managers engage effectively with external agencies. For instance, they make links with local health services and the community hub as well as with the local library. This helps families to access a range of different services. Children thrive in an environment that considers all their needs.
• Parents report that teaching is of high quality. They talk about what their children have learned since starting at the nursery. Parents state that their children are gaining confidence and good language skills. Managers recognise that communication with parents is very important. They constantly review how information is given to parents. This includes a parent comment box, regular questionnaires and home learning packs. Managers are planning to further strengthen how they give information to parents so that all procedures are fully understood.
• Managers plan professional development opportunities for all staff. Recently, this has included a 'maths for toddlers' course and music courses. Overall, this helps staff to continue to improve their knowledge of how children learn.
• Managers have regular supervision meetings and regularly observe staff practice. However, the feedback given to staff does not always focus precisely on increasing and improving their individual knowledge and teaching practice.
• Staff plan activities that the children are interested in. However, some focused activities do not always provide enough challenge for older children. Occasionally, some children are not motivated and excited to join in.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• further develop supervision meetings to promote the quality of teaching for all children
• strengthen planning techniques to help all children to be sufficiently challenged in focused activities.