Abeona Warkton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children love to attend this welcoming, busy and child-centred setting. They arrive full of energy, greeting known adults with a smile and a hug. They happily wave to their parents and quickly settle in their individual rooms. Babies who are new to the nursery are gently reassured and supported by attentive staff. The staff know their routines well and work hard to ensure these are adhered to. This helps babies to settle and feel secure. Children's emotional well-being is further promoted through the good transitions staff put in place as children move from room to room.

Toddlers and pre-school children enjoy learning about the world. Staff teach them how to care for the animals in the garden and how to look after the plants and vegetables that grow in the 'allotment' area. Children of all ages build their vocabulary through positive interactions with staff as they play. They learn new words, such as 'swish' and 'plop', as they play in the water tray. Staff encourage children to repeat words and copy the sounds they make. They help older children to predict what will happen next as they read stories to them. Consequently, children develop good speaking skills.

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

• The nursery team has met all actions that were raised at the previous inspection. It has implemented processes and practice to ensure that children's well-being and safety are a priority.
• Babies enjoy the sensory experience as they practise scooping and pouring oats using spoons and small containers with the close support from staff. They show delight as they watch the oats fall from their hands, and they make marks with their feet. Staff help toddlers and pre-school children use a range of materials to explore their creative skills. They use lentils to create pictures and sticks and leaves to make collages. Older children enjoy using sticks to make marks in mud, sharing their excitement with staff as they form the letters in their name.
• Overall, staff ensure that children have regular access to the outdoors. Staff support them to take and manage risks that are appropriate for their age and stage of development. Toddlers learn how to use small wheeled toys safely, and pre-school children skilfully climb trees in the outdoor classroom. However, babies are only able to access the outdoor space once each day. This means they have less opportunity to enjoy and learn in the outside environment.
• Staff support children well to develop their confidence and self-esteem. They provide opportunities for them to develop their independence, for example as they support toddlers and pre-school children to self-serve at mealtimes. Pre-school children show good dexterity as they pour their own drinks and cut up their food. They demonstrate their confidence as they question the inspector as to why they are visiting and show them around their room, chatting to them about the range of play equipment that is accessible to them.
• The majority of staff consistently teach children to behave well. They guide them in how to share and take turns from an early age, and they praise them for using 'kind hands', listening and following instructions. However, there are staff who are not as confident in helping children to understand the expectations for positive behaviour. As a result, some children are receiving mixed messages about what is acceptable.
• Parents comment positively about their children's time in the setting. They say that they are kept well informed about what their children are learning and that staff share ideas with them on how to extend this at home. Parents appreciate the time staff take to speak with them at the end of the day and comment on how confident and happy their children are.
• Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. They speak with parents when they have concerns and ensure that referrals are made in a timely manner to help children get the support they need. The special educational needs and disabilities coordinator takes time to help staff identify and plan appropriate activities for children with SEND, to enable them to make the progress they are capable of. For example, Makaton is used in all rooms to support children who have delay in their speech or who have hearing impairments.
• The manager has a clear overview of the provision for childcare and monitors the quality of education to ensure this is appropriate for all children. She and her deputy support staff through regular meetings and observe their practice to ensure the curriculum offered helps children to make at least good progress. However, sometimes, staff focus too much on a theme and not on the individual learning needs of the children. They know what they want children to learn but do not always use the curriculum appropriately to deliver this effectively. This is particularly the case for some of the youngest children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the provision for outdoor play to support the youngest children to have more regular access to the outdoor environment
• help all staff to be consistent in how they promote positive behaviour for all children
• help all staff to have more confidence in implementing the curriculum so that activities consistently support individual children's learning needs.