Alphabets@Hollymoor

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are safe, secure and happy in this nursery. They have formed close bonds with the staff who supervise them well and are attentive to their needs. The manager and staff provide children with a good foundation in their learning. Children gain a wide range of useful skills and are well-prepared for their move to school. For example, the manager places a strong focus on helping children to gain good levels of independence and staff implement this well. Children manage their personal care routines confidently and are very keen to wipe their own noses. They dress in their outdoor clothes and develop a range of life skills, such as spreading toppings on their toast at breakfast.

Children develop good social skills and learn to manage their feelings and behaviour. They enjoy involving friends and staff in their play and develop storylines together. Children decide they want to draw around themselves as they lie down on the floor and staff encourage them to work as a team. Children show consideration for each other and comfort friends who have had an accident, and are upset.

Staff support children's health well. Children learn about good hygiene routines to help limit the spread of germs. This includes washing their hands before meals, after using the toilet and wiping their nose.

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

• The provider ensures that the manager and staff have the opportunity to develop their professional skills. All staff receive valuable supervision and training. This has helped to equip the staff team with the knowledge and skills they need to continually improve. For example, an additional member of staff is currently training to support the manager as special educational needs coordinator. The provider, manager and staff work well together to reflect on their strengths, and areas for further development.
• The manager and staff are very knowledgeable about child development and the needs of the children in their care. They have clear intentions for children's development and for the learning experiences they provide. For example, some children are currently learning to use a knife and fork to eat their lunch. Children benefit from additional opportunities to practise using the knife to cut food, such as during role play and to chop fruit to make healthy kebabs.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive good support from staff. Staff monitor children's progress closely and are quick to identify when children need additional support to meet their development milestones. They work closely with the local authority and parents to ensure that children receive targeted support.
• Overall, children are well-motivated to play and explore. There is an excited buzz of learning when children access the main learning environments. Here, they have a wealth of learning experiences that capture their interests, imaginations and challenge their thinking. For example, children thoroughly enjoy the opportunities to be passengers in a large cardboard bus they have made. They discuss their various journeys confidently. However, when children start their day at the nursery, staff do not organise the learning experiences as well as possible. During this time, children are less engaged and the opportunities for them to extend their learning are slightly limited.
• Parent partnership working is strong. Parents and grandparents speak positively about the service provided, and the positive impact this has for their children and themselves. They appreciate the regular updates about their child's progress and the support provided to help continue children's learning at home. The manager is planning further opportunities to engage parents, such as re-introducing home visits which stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and enhance the arrangements for children's learning experiences for the start of the day to maximise opportunities for them to be fully engaged and challenged in their learning
• extend the curriculum provision for children who are already progressing well in the communication and language to challenge them even further.