ABC Hook Lane Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily. They receive reassurance from their key person if they feel unsettled. This helps children to feel safe and secure. Staff have high expectations for children. Children behave well and they understand the rules and boundaries. They learn to take turns with one another with adult support. Children enjoy feeding the birds with their leftover bread crusts. They enjoy watching the birds use the bird house they have made. Children begin to learn how to be independent. For example, at snack time they learn to spread butter and jam onto their crackers independently. Children make good progress in their learning and development.

Older children eagerly learn about oral hygiene. Staff encourage children to share their past experiences of visiting the dentist. This helps children learn more about looking after their teeth. Children take part in activities where they learn how to brush their teeth well. They also learn which foods help to keep their teeth strong. They talk knowledgeably about milk being good for their teeth. Children learn about the local community. For example, they visit their local library and then replicate the system for their own lending library at the nursery.

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

• The manager builds a curriculum that is heavily focused on developing children's personal, social and emotional skills as well as their language skills. The manager recognises that these skills are the building blocks to children making the best possible progress. She is passionate about instilling these skills right from the beginning.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported very well. The manager is passionate about meeting their needs. She completes her own research to ensure that staff have all the information they require to support children. Staff go out of their way to include children in every way possible. They ensure adaptations are quickly put in place to support children with SEND.
• Staff have very good relationships with outside professionals to support children with SEND. They work together to ensure children make the best possible progress. This partnership enables staff to meet the children's needs and helps children feel safe and secure when they meet new professionals. For example, outside agencies visit the nursery instead of children attending their clinics.
• The manager ensures that staff's well-being is a priority. She checks in frequently with staff and discusses how everyone is feeling. However, individual performance is not discussed as regularly. This does not help the manager identify what further training and support are required to ensure the consistency of high-quality teaching.
• Staff help children develop their language skills. They listen attentively to children's thoughts and ideas and provide children with time to respond to questions. Children enjoy singing a range of nursery rhymes throughout the day. They eagerly listen to stories.
• Children in receipt of additional funding make good progress. Staff ensure funding is used well to help close any gaps in learning and development. For example, sensory equipment is purchased to support children with their self-regulation.
• Staff have a good knowledge of what children can do and the progress they have made. However, staff do not always use this knowledge to plan directly for children's next steps in learning. In addition, next steps are not always implemented precisely enough to ensure children make the best possible progress in their learning and development.
• The manager knows her families well. She has a good understanding of each individual circumstance and the needs that come with that. The manager ensures that support is given to parents to meet these needs. Parents are very complimentary about the support and communication they receive from staff.
• Staff ensure that children get ample opportunity to be outside. Children develop their large-muscle skills as they learn to jump and climb. They learn to assess risk for themselves. For example, children climb across a row of cable reels set up as an obstacle course. They use different ways to balance to keep themselves safe, such as putting their arms out as well as kneeling.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen supervision, training and coaching to identify staff's training needs promptly and raise the quality of teaching to a consistently high level
• develop staff's understanding of how to use their knowledge of what children can do, to plan effectively for their next steps and implement these more precisely.