Acorn Community Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and leave their parents with confidence. Children settle quickly and are eager to start their day. They display good manners, and behaviour is good. Staff are nurturing and provide children with plenty of comfort and reassurance, which helps them to feel safe and secure around new visitors. Staff skilfully provide opportunities for children to talk about their feelings. For example, children recall reading 'The Colour Monster', and they comment on how they are feeling through colours, such as 'blue' for 'sad'. Staff know the children very well, which is reflected in the strong attachments children have with staff. This supports children's emotional well-being.

Staff develop a challenging and sequenced curriculum, which is based around children's unique interests and development. They plan a wide range of activities based on themes, and they build on what children already know and can do. Staff support all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to be confident learners. They provide plenty of encouragement and praise during their play. Babies excitedly explore carefully placed objects to help develop their core strength and to sit up independently. Older children confidently recall how to stay safe while riding the rocking horse. Therefore, children of all ages make good progress.

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

• Leaders work together to ensure that they have a clear vision for the nursery and have high expectations for all children to make the best possible progress. She is reflective and has helped staff to access targeted training opportunities to improve their teaching. She carries out regular observations and has an accurate overview of staff training. This has a positive impact on outcomes for children.
• Leaders recognise that the development of children's communication and language skills is a current priority. For example, there is a strong emphasis on reading with children. Younger children enjoy looking for pictures of farm animals while staff model the sounds they make. Furthermore, staff model good language to children through narration and introduce new vocabulary, such as 'delicious' and 'shiny'. This helps to address any emerging gaps in children's communication and language skills and supports children to become confident communicators.
• Physical play is promoted well. Older children are developing their awareness of safety, as they independently climb, slide, and practise their balancing. Furthermore, babies enjoy pulling themselves up on the outdoor sandpit, with staff supervision. Children develop good physical skills.
• Staff interact well with children, and they generally use good teaching skills to ensure that what they intend the children to learn is achieved. However, occasionally, staff do not recognise children's emerging interests and creativity during activities. For example, older children enjoy making shapes, such as squares and circles, with their bodies. Children excitedly ask how to make other shapes, like a hexagon, yet staff do not explore this. As a result, some children lose interest.
• There is good support for children with SEND. Staff identify when children require extra support. They make ongoing assessments and work with parents to provide pertinent information for other professionals. This helps to ensure early intervention and helps to close gaps in learning.
• Healthy lifestyles are promoted. Younger children are supported in carrying out good hygiene procedures, such as washing their own hands before eating food. Older children are aware of good oral health and the importance of drinking milk to have healthy teeth. Children have a good understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles.
• Younger children are encouraged to serve themselves food, pour drinks and take their empty plates to the sink when they have finished. Moreover, older children carry out personal care needs, such as going to the toilet independently. All children are encouraged to be independent, and they help to support children in readiness for school.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Parents say that staff go above and beyond to ensure their child is progressing. Parents receive lots of information and advice from staff. For example, they receive information about potty training and 'ditch the dummy' techniques to help with their child's development at home. This provides a coherent continuity in children's learning and development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to consistently recognise children's emerging interests during group sessions.