Barnardiston Hall

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are curious and happily investigate their surroundings. They benefit from plenty of opportunities to explore outdoor play and aspects of the natural world. For example, toddlers enjoy using magnifying glasses to look closely at the woodlouse they find under the outdoor mats. They begin to use simple mathematical language as they compare and talk about the length of two worms.

In the main, children experience a broad curriculum which reflects the high expectations staff have for their learning. The youngest children show great levels of enthusiasm and enjoyment as they join in with daily singing activities. They practise and refine their early speaking skills while repeating the words they hear in songs they already know well.

From a young age, children are skilfully supported to feel safe in expressing their emotions. They intuitively notice when others are upset and often look to comfort them with a smile or cuddle. This reflects the nurturing support they receive from their key person and shows that they form very secure emotional bonds. Toddlers respond well to the positive boundaries set by staff. They show growing levels of self-control when learning to share toys and follow safety rules.

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

• Several children have attended the nursery throughout the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The nursery manager and staff have worked hard to adapt and continue to make sure children's health and emotional well-being are a priority. Children benefit from the effective actions put in place to protect them, including increased handwashing and social distancing when appropriate.
• Since the last inspection, the nursery manager has successfully led staff to review and improve the quality of education. Staff work hard to make sure that the resources and interactions are carefully matched to children's interests and learning needs. Overall, staff are clear on what they intend for children to learn. They explain that they offer plenty of everyday resources to help inspire children's curiosity and learning across the curriculum.
• Skilled support from staff helps children to embrace new experiences, including children who are less confident. Staff offer reassurance and demonstrate tasks to help children understand what will happen if they have a go. For example, children are encouraged to touch the ice gradually before staff demonstrate how to use it to make marks on paper. With this gentle encouragement, children eagerly get involved and enjoy practising their finer physical skills.
• Staff make effective use of observation and assessment. This helps them to identify when gaps are emerging in children's learning. For example, they plan purposeful opportunities for toddlers to make more rapid progress in their personal development. This includes a strong focus on working in partnership with parents to support children with learning to use the toilet.
• Carefully tailored intervention is provided for children who have specific medical and dietary needs. Staff continuously exchange information with parents and healthcare professionals. This helps to ensure the care and support provided are precisely matched to children's individual and changing needs.
• Overall, staff support children's growing awareness of diversity in society. They plan some interesting activities for children to explore traditional fabrics and foods from around the world. However, they do not fully consider how younger children can develop an early awareness of similarities and differences in more meaningful ways.
• The well-qualified staff are led effectively by the nursery manager and morale is strong among the team. They welcome opportunities to get together to discuss and evaluate the effectiveness of their practice. All staff have regular meetings with the nursery manager. These provide valuable opportunities for staff to discuss their own performance and review the ambitious plans for their professional development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to develop meaningful opportunities for younger children to begin to explore similarities and differences between themselves and others.