Barking Riverside Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Managers and staff have a good understanding of the children who attend the nursery. They invest time in learning about each child's interests, home lives and developmental stage from the start. This helps children to settle in smoothly. The nursery places a strong focus on children's well-being and personal growth. Staff actively support children to manage and express their emotions effectively. Children confidently use the self-regulation area to reflect on their behaviour and learn positive strategies to manage this well. Staff are warm and sensitive in their interactions with children. This helps children to develop a sense of belonging.

Staff consistently reinforce expectations through their daily interactions with children. As a result, children confidently recall the importance of sharing, taking turns, listening and using good manners. This contributes to a calm and purposeful environment where children play harmoniously together and demonstrate positive attitudes and behaviour. Staff are committed to helping every child to make the best possible progress. They deliver a thoughtfully planned curriculum that considers children's developmental needs and interests. Staff promote a love of reading by encouraging children to borrow books from a lending library to enjoy with their families. By introducing new vocabulary and narrating children's play, staff help to build children's confidence and self-esteem well.

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

• Managers work closely with staff to build a curriculum that builds on what children can do and what they need to learn next. They use feedback from parents and carers, staff and children to evaluate and improve the provision. Managers involve internal and external professionals to support staff's development. This enables them to deliver a personalised and regularly reviewed curriculum that ensures all children make good progress from their starting points.
• Children develop a strong understanding of the world around them through meaningful experiences. For example, staff plan activities, such as making fertilisers and exploring animal and plant life cycles. Additionally, they engage children in fundraising for charity, promoting empathy, compassion and a deeper connection with nature and the environment.
• Managers provide staff with valued personal and professional support, which staff greatly appreciate. They offer tailored training and time for staff to pursue further qualifications. This leads to improved outcomes for children.
• Managers and staff regularly share information with parents to support children's development. They provide feedback at pick-up times and invite parents to stay- and-play sessions. This helps to build strong relationships and offer ideas for supporting children's learning at home.
• Overall, parents appreciate the support staff provide for their children. They value the guidance that staff offer, including strategies and targets to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps to maintain continuity in children's learning at home.
• Staff recognise and celebrate the diversity of children, families and the team in the nursery. They actively teach children about the religions, traditions and events that are important to their peers and staff. There is a strong commitment to making the nursery inclusive for everyone.
• Overall, children have opportunities to develop their independence. For example, they learn to use the toilet, wash their hands and take responsibility by tidying up after their play. Staff support them to manage their own self-care. However, during mealtimes, staff do not consistently encourage children to build on these skills. For example, some staff serve children's food, pour water for them and set the table. This limits children's ability to fully develop their independence, which can impact on their readiness for future routines.
• Staff promote children's healthy attitudes. They discuss nutritious eating during mealtimes. Staff provide activities, such as yoga, bicycle riding and obstacle courses, to build children's core strength and coordination.
• Overall, the support for children's communication and language support is good. Staff use group times, questions, picture cards and simple signing to encourage listening and turn-taking, helping children to build their confidence and vocabulary. However, at times, staff do not allow enough time for children to think and respond to questions they ask and often provide the answer for children. This limits opportunities for children to develop deeper thinking and their expressive language skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop children's independence skills even further at mealtimes by allowing them to manage tasks they are capable of completing themselves
• enhance staff's teaching skills to allow children sufficient time to respond to questions to fully enhance their learning.