Alphabets @ Frankley

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily to the nursery. They are greeted by friendly, welcoming staff who help them to settle in to play. Children form close relationships with key staff, which helps them to feel safe and secure. Children freely explore the inviting play environment and access from a range of stimulating resources that are set out.

Children show positive behaviours. Some children routinely use good manners, while others respond well to the gentle reminders from staff, saying 'please' and 'thank you'. Staff use appropriate strategies to support children to resolve minor conflicts. Time is taken by staff to listen to what children say and find a solution together. Children know the routines during the day well and follow these with little guidance from staff.

Independence is promoted well. Children manage their own self-help skills with ease. They use the bathroom and wash their hands. They make choices about how they play with the resources that interest them. Children show high levels of engagement and happily play with their friends, and with staff. Children show good levels of self-esteem. They are confident to speak with staff and visitors about the toys they play with. All children gain the skills and understanding they need in preparation for their next stages in learning.

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

• The provider, manager and staff have worked tremendously hard to raise the quality of the nursery since the last inspection. The newly implemented arrangements for children's learning now focus more closely on providing children with experiences that link to their interests. Staff provide opportunities for children to practise their skills and develop the understanding they need to help them to make progress. However, these arrangements are not yet fully embedded. Time is needed to ensure these arrangements are made in line with the changing needs of the children.
• Children enjoy mark making in a range of ways. This helps to strengthen their smaller hand muscles, coordination and control as they use various equipment. For example, outdoors, children use chalk on the path to create their own pictures or copy the numbers that are written on rubber tiles. Other children use different sized paint brushes to make their marks with water. They confidently speak to staff about what they have drawn.
• Children have great fun in the mud kitchen. They experiment with different ingredients, including clay, water and cooked pasta. They add water to their mixture and talk with each other about what is happening. Older children develop their pouring skills, from one vessel to another. They serve the mixture into cups and bowls.
• Children practise their number skills and use more complex language to talk about directions. For example, they decide where they would like their electronic robot to move to. They use their thinking skills and the support from staff to decide whether to move forward, backwards, left or right. Children follow simple instructions and count, to program the robot and set it off to move. They watch intently as it stops. Children cheer with staff when the robot arrives in the place they had wanted.
• Communication and language development is a strength. Staff use additional assessments to help focus the support children need to make progress. In particular, for children who require additional support to narrow the gaps in their speaking skills. Staff use lots of interesting conversation, stories and provide many opportunities for children to discuss their thoughts. As a result, all children develop clear speech rapidly. This helps to them to develop confidence and increase their self-esteem.
• Staff help children to learn how to keep themselves safe, using books and discussion. Children are quick to recall what they know. For example, they say they must wait for an adult before walking through a gate. They say they must put a seatbelt on while travelling in a car. Children also talk about items they must not touch at home, such as glass and sharp knives.
• The manager ensures that staff are provided with the support they need to fulfil their duties. Staff attend regular training to support their own development and strengthen their teaching skills, such as a music workshop, to think about how children listen. In addition, the manager and staff have made good use of the Local Authority support and guidance to make improvements to the learning environment and routines. As a result, children show calm behaviours because they are more consistently engaged in purposeful play experiences.
• Parents speak highly of the staff in the nursery. They say their children are happy and are making good progress. They comment on how well their children now speak. Parents are happy with the detailed information their receive about their child's care and learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to embed the arrangements for children's learning, to ensure they gain the opportunities to practise skills and work towards, making consistently good progress in all areas of their learning.