Bank Hall Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children ooze with excitement as they rush into the nursery. Staff provide a carefully considered environment, which enables children to make choices. Children develop an understanding of the world around them. They enjoy exploring the woodland with staff and learning about the farm animals that live in the neighbouring fields. Staff know that children learn best when they feel safe and secure. Children are cared for by staff who are kind and place them at the centre of everything they do. Babies seek out staff for reassurances when they feel unsettled. Staff are nurturing and give babies the reassurance they need. As a result, babies quickly develop confidence and interact with others.

Staff encourage a love of reading. Babies snuggle into staff who read to them. They excitedly point out the animals and make the sounds. This leads to a rousing 'Old MacDonald has a Farm', which the babies join in with. Children learn that books can be read for pleasure and for locating information. Songs and rhymes are a constant throughout the nursery. Babies giggle in delight as staff sing and sign the 'welcome song'. This provides great opportunities for children to develop their speaking skills and extend their vocabulary.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They use effective methods to praise and reward children. This helps children to learn positive behaviours, such as turn taking. Children enjoy carrying out tasks, such as helping to tidy away the resources. Overall, children demonstrate positive behaviours and attitudes to learning.

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

• Managers and staff have created a balanced and sequenced curriculum intent, which is designed to help children to build on prior learning. However, this is not always consistently implemented in practice as staff do not always take the dynamics of the group or environment into consideration. This results in some children becoming restless and their learning less meaningful within large-group activities.
• Staff ask pertinent questions to help children to voice their opinions. For example, at snack time, babies confidently tell staff 'No' when asked if they want more to drink. As older children take part in food tasting, they shiver and exclaim, 'It's sour' and 'That is disgusting' after tasting the lime. This generates lots of conversations about different foods textures and tastes.
• Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective. Staff identify any emerging needs swiftly and implement focused support plans. They use verbal and visual cues, such as pictures, to help children make choices and have a voice. Staff work harmoniously with parents and professionals to monitor and assess children's progress. This provides a consistent approach in supporting children's care and learning.
• Children benefit from a well-planned curriculum that supports their physical development. Older children climb up and over large apparatus and work together to build assault courses. Children whiz around outdoor areas on wheeled resources with increasing skill and control. Babies pull themselves up on furniture using this as an anchor to practise their first tentative steps. Consequently, children develop confidence in their own abilities.
• Children enjoy using a wide range of tools, such as paintbrushes, sticks, pencils and crayons to make marks. Babies make patterns in 'gloop' and giggle as it disappears. Older children write letters on the chalk board. They tell staff that this is the letter that starts their name. These activities help children develop the fine-motor control needed for early writing.
• Staff help children to become independent. Babies are supported to learn how to use a spoon to feed themselves. Older children put on their own coats and see to their own toileting needs. Children show they are secure in established routines in preparation for school.
• Children follow good hygiene routines. For example, they rush to wash their hands before meals. Children recognise the changes in their bodies. They talk about their heart beating fast after running around outdoors. They also understand the importance of having regular drinks of water to remain hydrated. Consequently, children develop a positive attitude to their health.
• Staff work in partnership with parents. They provide ideas and activities for parents to do at home to support children's learning. For example, staff encourage parents to play board games at home, to help develop their children's concentration skills. These meaningful suggestions help to prepare children for the next stage in their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the curriculum so that it is ambitious for all children and is threaded throughout all the children's learning experiences
• improve the organisation of group activities so that children's learning needs are consistently met.