ABC Kids Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive confidently and smile at kind staff who welcome them into the nursery. They settle quickly, including those children who are new to the nursery and separate from their parents with ease. Children show curiosity as they choose what they play with. They listen to staff and learn to share and take turns as they play. Children follow simple instructions, such as to put on their coats when it is time to play outside. They learn some routines that will help them settle and that will be familiar to them when they move to school, such as forming a line before going outside.

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

• The recently appointed manager has a clear vision for the nursery. She reflects on staff practice and has a realistic view of the quality of teaching. The manager is keen to help staff to develop further. She is liaising with the local authority to provide specific training to help improve the experiences for children even further. Staff receive regular meetings that help to identify their strengths and where training may be beneficial. The manager supports staff to seek professional qualifications.
• Parents are very positive about the nursery. They notice the progress their children make in learning and state that they feel well informed about what their child needs to learn next. Parents say that their children enjoy attending and that they believe children are safe at nursery.
• Staff introduce core stories to children each month, for example 'We're going on a Bear Hunt'. They understand that repetition helps children to learn. Staff provide children with opportunities to re-enact stories in many ways. For example, when playing in the outdoor castle apparatus they liken it to the bear's cave. Children explore the different environments from the story on a small scale, such as water for the river and cereal for the mud. Staff introduce new words as children play, such as 'dirty, clean' and 'broken'. They understand that hands-on experiences help children make connections and deepen their understanding.
• Staff gather information from parents about their child from the start. They use this information to get to know children and their interests. Staff plan experiences and activities that reflect children's interests to help them settle. They provide parents with learning bags and activities that are devised to support each child's ongoing learning at home.
• Staff are keen to help children learn about the local community. Children enjoy walks to local parks where staff further extend learning for the monthly core story, for example, by creating a bear hunt with laminated images of a bear.
• Staff notice and act quickly when children may fall behind in their learning. They work with other professionals and parents to seek support and implement appropriate intervention to help children catch up.
• Staff tend to follow children's lead in play. They provide an appropriate range of resources for children to explore, both inside and outside. However, the curriculum sometimes lacks challenge to inspire children's awe and wonder in the world. Staff do not always plan experiences that encourage children to speculate or try out their ideas.
• The curriculum for literacy includes teaching all children phonics. Staff place too much emphasis on teaching phonics to children, such as when they emphasise the initial sound in words that they model to them. This creates confusion for some children who are still acquiring language, to develop a wide vocabulary and the essential language comprehension that will support word reading when they move to school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff practice to widen children's learning experiences further, so that they receive appropriate challenge that ignites enthusiasm for learning
• help staff understand how to develop the foundations for language to build on children's already developing vocabulary.