ABC Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provider has made good improvements to provide quality care and education for all. Staff have a clear vision for the delivery of their curriculum and a strong focus on engaging children in play. They support children to explore and develop their own ideas about how they want to extend an activity, and provide the resources for children to develop their ideas further.

Children confidently explore the environment and enjoy a variety of activities that are thoughtfully planned. Staff develop learning experiences based on children's current interests and stages of development. Staff support children and adapt their teaching to help them make good progress.

Children show positive attitudes towards their play and learning. Staff set clear expectations and model the behaviour they want from children. They are polite and courteous when they request different materials to extend their play. For example, children are gentle and caring when bathing their baby dolls. Staff listen attentively to children as they talk about washing the doll's clothes. Staff and children work together to gather all they need to wash and dry their clothes.

Staff interact and help children manage risk as they explore a range of apparatus outside. Children grow in confidence through the encouragement and praise of staff. Older children enjoy helping and encouraging younger children to be confident and explore the apparatus with them.

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

• The manager has a clear and ambitious vision for providing high-quality and inclusive care to all. They know what it is they want children to learn. They provide the support and coaching needed to develop staff's teaching skills. They build on what children already know and can do and develop their next steps in learning.
• The manager focuses on improving practitioners' knowledge of the areas of learning and their understanding of how children learn, to enhance the teaching of the curriculum and use of assessment. Staff use assessments well to support their planning for children to make good progress. They evaluate activities regularly to ensure that children are learning what they teach.
• Staff create an environment that is interesting and exciting for children to engage in. Children focus on their chosen activity and show a high level of curiosity as they explore a range of activities. For example, children explore making lemonade. Staff talk with the children about the lemons and how they can mix them with water, cut the lemon, and squeeze the juice out to taste it. Children develop their coordination as they use cutlery and risk-assess using knives safely to cut the lemons.
• Parents are well-informed about the progress their children are making. They know what their children are learning and how they can help further develop their children's skills and knowledge at home. Staff share feedback and encourage children to share what they have been learning with their parents and show excitement to talk about their day at the nursery.
• Staff engage children in meaningful conversations. They talk to children and ask interesting and thoughtful questions to further develop their language skills. However, this is not consistent for all children attending the setting. On occasion, quiet or younger children are overshadowed by more confident children. At times, staff do not consistently provide interactions that fully support the communication and language of younger children, to help extend their learning.
• Children behave well and are kind and thoughtful towards their friends. Staff model the behaviours they expect of children. They are gentle and kind to them. They are attentive and show respect as they talk with the children and engage in their play. Children are beginning to manage their feelings and understand that their actions have an impact on others.
• Children develop their confidence and resilience. They particularly enjoy the construction area, where they use a variety of materials to build and construct. They talk about what materials work best to build on and how to create tall towers with foam bricks. They continue to try and adapt their construction to succeed in making towers that stand up without falling. Staff provide encouragement and praise to encourage children to focus, engage, and keep trying.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff interactions to offer a more consistent approach to supporting younger children's communication and language development.