Acorn Grove Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and thoroughly enjoy spending time at this nursery. They are warmly welcomed by caring staff. Staff build positive relationships with all the children. They are attentive and nurturing in their approach. This helps children to feel safe and secure in the nursery. Children gain a good awareness of expected behaviours. Staff have high expectations for all children. They are positive role models and encourage children to show good manners and respect for each other. Staff provide children with clear instructions. This helps children understand the rules in the nursery, such as why they need to use 'kind hands'.

Staff use books to help children recognise their own feelings. Children practise pulling faces in mirrors to represent different emotions. They are learning how to manage their own feelings effectively. Children's communication and language are promoted well. They hear repeated words as staff read books and sing nursery rhymes that they choose. Staff also introduce new words to children as they play. For example, they use the words 'sticky' and 'soft' as children make play dough. Staff use clear and well-pronounced speech. This helps all children, especially those who speak English as an additional language, develop their language skills.

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

• Staff provide a broad curriculum for children that prepares them for the next stage in their learning. They plan activities that excite children into learning. Staff assess children's development and know what they want children to learn. However, staff do not always differentiate activities effectively. They do not consider enough challenge for the most able children. Consequently, children sometimes become disengaged.
• Children have copious opportunities to enhance their physical development. They balance across tyres and planks of wood outside. Children confidently ride around the outside area on tricycles. This helps to develop children's large muscle movements.
• Staff promote diversity well. Children look carefully in the mirror to identify their features as they make faces. They celebrate what makes each other unique. Children celebrate a range of festivals and learn about other cultures. This helps children learn about people and families that may be different to their own.
• Parent partnerships are strong. Parents are invited in for stay-and-play sessions and they attend story times at the nursery. They are complimentary about the care the nursery provides. Parents praise the staff for the regular updates they provide about children's development. This helps to provide continuity in children's learning.
• Children's independence is encouraged from an early age. They serve their own food at snack time and carry their plates to the table. Children hang their own coats up when they come in from outside. This helps children feel proud of the activities they can complete by themselves.
• Leaders carry out supervisions with staff. They are proactive in seeking training opportunities to enhance staff's professional development. Staff say that their well-being is considered. They comment on how well supported and valued they feel at the nursery.
• Children behave well. They listen attentively to staff's instructions. Children play harmoniously together and take turns with the equipment. Staff provide children with an abundance of praise. This helps to build up children's self-esteem.
• Overall, children's communication and language are promoted well. Staff hold meaningful conversations with children about the food they bake with their parents at home. The more confident children are keen to share their ideas in activities. However, staff do not always encourage the quieter children to join in with whole group activities. As a result, they do not always have opportunities to have their voice heard.
• The special educational needs and disability coordinator makes timely referrals to outside agencies. She works closely with other professionals and staff to implement targeted learning plans when staff have developmental concerns about children. Managers use additional funding, such as early years pupil premium, wisely to enrich children's learning experiences. This helps to support the development of individual children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to provide high-quality interactions with quieter, less-confident children to engage them better in learning
• develop the way staff differentiate activities, to help provide further challenge to the most able children.