Acorns Early Years Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children, including those who are new to the nursery, settle well on arrival. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, key staff now greet all children and their families warmly at the nursery's main entrance. On arrival, children confidently leave their parents and eagerly seek out enjoyable activities in their base rooms. Older babies' individual care needs are met well. Staff show respect and consideration when asking them whether they are ready for a nappy change. This has a positive impact on children's confidence and emotional well-being. Children develop good levels of independence. For instance, during group activities, toddlers recognise themselves in photos and proudly place them on a self-registration board. Pre-school children understand their opinions are important to staff and confidently share their ideas. They engage in meaningful conversations about their drawings and eagerly share their thoughts on items in a curiosity box. Staff are positive role models and have high expectations for children's behaviour. As a result, children show kindness and consideration for each other as they happily share and take turns, such as when using sand play equipment. Older children demonstrate good listening skills and follow nursery routines with minimal disruption. They receive clear guidance from staff during daily routines so that they know when to bring their chosen play to an end.

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

• The management team has effective processes in place for the monitoring of children's play and learning. The team identified that some children do not always want to play outdoors. This resulted in staff providing a range of activities indoors, including shaving foam and toy dinosaurs for children to explore. This helps to provide good experiences for all children's needs.
• The management team is totally committed to the care and education of all children. The team constantly reflects on the curriculum intent to raise the quality of the educational programmes. Staff receive regular supportive feedback on their everyday practice and there is a positive culture of professional development. For example, staff have completed training on how to provide an enabling indoor environment for children.
• Numeracy skills are well supported across the nursery. Staff introduce mathematical language and use it effectively throughout the day. For instance, they use positional language as children play with sand. Older children are encouraged to problem solve. They discover how to calculate the number of play bricks they need when building, and they take pride in their achievements.
• Staff place a good emphasis on supporting children's communication and language skills. Babies enjoy exploring picture books. Toddlers excitedly join in action songs, and pre-school children explore the illustrations and narratives of books. However, younger children are not consistently supported in the teaching of new words to develop their vocabulary.
• Staff are attentive to children's needs. They help younger children to master new skills, such as putting on their own coats. However, children have to wait for everyone to be ready before going outdoors to play. This impacts on the learning opportunities that they can have outside.
• Staff who support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities have a clear understanding of their role. They work closely with parents and seek support from other professionals. Staff use the knowledge gained to great effect to ensure that each child has the appropriate support. This helps to ensure that children's needs are met and gaps in their learning close as quickly as possible.
• Children delight in their outdoor play. They skilfully manoeuvre tricycles, negotiate uneven surfaces and balance on stepping stones. Children's oral health is well supported. They explore the importance of brushing their teeth and confidently identify healthy food options, such as carrots and apples. This helps children to learn self-care skills.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery and form good relationships with staff. Parents speak positively about how staff have provided ideas on activities they could do at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. They found these very helpful. Parents say that they feel informed about their children's progress and receive daily updates.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop teaching of communication and language to extend and increase young children's vocabulary
• review the organisation of some daily routines so that children do not spend time waiting for others before going outside to play.