Artemis St Leonards

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children's unique qualities are clearly understood and welcomed in this homely, child-centred nursery. Leaders and staff take time to plan for every child's personal needs from the moment they join the nursery. Staff are dedicated towards ensuring each child has the best start to their learning journey. Staff help children to become confident, competent learners. For example, children are keen to develop their knowledge and try new things. These skills support them well for starting school.

Children develop very positive attitudes towards learning. Staff prepare activities that enable children to build their understanding and develop their range of skills. Children excitedly remember things they have previously learned. For example, when they are gardening, children talk about what they did when they planted seeds before, and they recall relevant information.

Children settle quickly. They demonstrate how emotionally secure and happy they feel. Children approach staff readily for comfort and invite them into their play. Staff role model a nurturing, caring approach in their interactions with all children. This contributes towards the care and kindness that children show to others. Children show empathy and a mature level of understanding for their friends' varying needs. They develop strong relationships with other children and happily play and learn together.

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

• The leadership team has high expectations of itself, staff and all children. Leaders work closely with other professionals to seek advice when needed and share in the care and learning programme for individual children. This combined level of expertise and assessment contributes effectively towards the good levels of progress every child makes, irrespective of their starting point.
• Funding is consistently used effectively to equip staff with the additional skills and knowledge they need to support every child. Leaders clearly understand the differing needs of families using the nursery and offer extensive levels of advice and guidance. Enrichment activities are organised to offer children new experiences, such as trips to the zoo, train rides, and visits to local places of interest, such as the castle. These opportunities broaden children's learning and help them develop an understanding of the area where they live.
• The nursery curriculum is fully embedded and offers a well structured sequence of learning. Leaders monitor the delivery and effectiveness of the curriculum closely. They adapt it, when needed, to take account of individual children, or the varying needs of children. The programme of activities and learning opportunities is enriched with many outside activities. For example, children visit the local woodland regularly to learn about nature. They enjoy visits to the beach to learn about marine life. Staff introduce children to environmental issues. For instance, they teach children about the impact of plastic in the sea and the harm it causes fish and other sea creatures.
• The quality of teaching is good. Staff teams in each room fully understand the varying needs of the children they work with. Staff plan activities with purpose and clear links to the nursery curriculum. For example, they encourage children to become a 'proud performer' and value each child's efforts and achievements. All activities are adapted appropriately to make sure every child can take part, and the programme of learning remains inclusive.
• In the main, staff enable children to become increasingly independent and manage tasks for themselves. For example, at snack time, children practise the skills they have learned by pouring their own drinks and using different utensils to serve themselves. However, the organisation of some mealtimes does not always allow children to further develop these skills. Staff do not consistently support children to learn behavioural expectations, such as by practising how to use a knife and fork competently when they eat.
• Children are encouraged to take safe risks and develop their physical skills. Children develop their finger muscles as they knead dough and pick up small seeds ready to plant. Some older children enjoy jumping off the low-level walls in the garden and understand how to do this safely. Staff do not consistently support children to learn how to recognise possible dangers and keep others safe.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Family support is key to leaders. Staff provide many activities to involve parents in their child's learning. For example, parents and children attend cookery courses together, and staff prepare home learning bags to help children through specific lifestyle changes, such as the birth of a sibling. Parents describe the nursery and staff as 'wonderful' and 'amazing' and note the positive impact the provision has on their children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop the organisation of the daily routine to enable children to practise and consolidate skills they have already learned, particularly at mealtimes
• support staff to provide children with appropriate and consistent explanations to aid their learning and understand how to keep themselves, and others, safe.