Appletree Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are well cared for by a kind, caring, attentive staff team. Staff focus on supporting children to develop secure bonds with their key person. Children who are new to the nursery and feel unsettled are offered lots of comfort and reassurance. This helps them to begin to feel settled, safe and secure. Children show confidence and behave well as they relate well to the staff team.

Children learn about healthy eating as they plant a range of herbs, fruits and vegetables. They learn where foods come from and, as they have helped to grow them, it also encourages them to try new foods.

Children are supported to develop the fundamental core skills to support their future development. They learn to share and take turns as they are encouraged to interact positively with their peers. Children learn to sit and listen for extended periods of time as they progress through the nursery. Staff help children to learn to vocalise their needs and to recognise and deal appropriately with their emotions. Scheduled physical education sessions in the summer term support children to develop their physical skills. They are also used to help children to learn how to successfully undress and re-dress themselves.

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

• Children engage in a range of interesting play experiences, supported by staff. Staff monitor children's progress from their starting points. They quickly identify any children who are at risk of falling behind in their development. The special educational needs coordinator liaises with staff, parents and other professionals when needed, to ensure each child receives the full support they need. This helps to narrow the achievement gap between children.
• The provider has a clear management structure in place. She has considered her exit strategy for when she leaves. For example, the provider is focused on up-skilling the members of the management team so that they have the required skills to continue running the nursery.
• Children's communication and language is supported well overall. Younger children enjoy lots of singing activities. Two-year-olds recall actions and some words to their favourite songs. Staff respond to babies' attempts at communication and name physical objects to support early language development. Pre-school children are encouraged to express their own needs. However, occasionally, staff working with two-year-olds use overly complicated sentences and too many questions in their attempts to encourage younger children's communication skills.
• Staff encourage pre-school children to learn to sit and listen. During group time activities, children recall how they should turn their listening ears on. They respond well to daily routines. For example, when the bell sounds, children know to stop what they are doing. They are then encouraged to count to 10 before helping to tidy away the toys. This helps children to learn to count and to respect their environment. It also helps to keep them safe from trip hazards.
• Babies benefit from playing outside and going on regular walks around the local area. Two-year-olds develop their physical skills in the sand. Older children show skill as they ride bikes and climb up and down the climbing frame.
• Children are actively encouraged to share. When an older child has more pieces from a game, the staff member successfully encourages them to think about this. Through gentle persuasion and discussion, the child happily shares the game pieces with the other child.
• Supervisions of staff practice and performance are completed by management. However, during these reviews, managers have not identified that the planned curriculum is not always implemented effectively by all staff. This results in occasions when some staff deliver activities which are slightly too advanced for children.
• Parents speak very highly of the staff team. They confirm that they are provided with clear information about their child, including their achievements. Parents confirm that their children have developed their skills and knowledge since attending the nursery.
• Children are supported with potty training, and their growing independence with toileting is continually promoted. This helps children to develop the confidence to meet their own personal hygiene needs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff who work with children aged two to three years to use simple language and not ask too many questions when building on children's growing vocabulary
• review staff practice more closely to ensure all staff are consistently implementing the planned curriculum so that each experience provided is pitched at the right level to build effectively on children's prior learning.