Barney Lodge Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled and thrive in this welcoming nursery. They arrive eager and excited for the day ahead. Staff and leaders happily greet families and make time for them to talk and share information should they need to. This helps to ensure parents leave their children knowing they are safe and well cared for.

Leaders and staff create and implement an ambitious, meaningful curriculum. There is a strong focus on ensuring children feel safe and secure. As a result, children become curious, confident and independent learners. For example, babies confidently explore their environment with staff close by to encourage them. Staff support children's learning well. For example, they talk to children about ice being cold and how it melts in the sun as children explore ice cubes. Staff follow older children's interests in the garden as they look for bugs, encouraging them to use magnifying glasses to help them find more creatures.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and are good role models for children. As a result, children behave well and form good relationships with others. Babies enjoy interactions with staff and beam with excitement as they receive cuddles from their siblings in the garden. Toddlers excitedly talk to each other about the robin they are looking for and can hear tweeting in the trees. Older children demonstrate kindness to others and have a good understanding of the importance of sharing. For example, when a friend asks for a turn, children confidently say 'when I have finished' and remember to pass it to them when it is their turn.

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

• The provider has worked hard to implement changes since the last inspection. Staff report that the provider is approachable and that they receive regular opportunities to discuss their well-being and job role. For example, staff who are passionate about outdoor learning have received visits from other nurseries within the group to gather ideas about how to use the outdoor space to extend children's development. Staff feel valued and are enthusiastic in their roles.
• Staff provide children with an environment that is rich with language. Staff introduce Makaton to babies to enable children to communicate their needs. Staff play alongside toddlers, comment on their play and introduce new language. For example, staff introduce the word 'lavender' as toddlers add it to their mud mixture. Children receive praise as they repeat the word themselves. Older children snuggle up together, share books and listen intently as they retell a story to each other. Children develop good communication, language and early literacy skills.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents share their love for the nursery and speak highly of the caring and nurturing staff team. Parents say their children have made excellent progress and that staff foster and celebrate their children's individuality. Staff provide regular updates for parents via the online system and share ideas for learning at home.
• Staff provide children with lots of opportunities to develop their physical skills. For example, staff organise activities that encourage babies to stand to strengthen their legs in readiness for walking. They develop their core muscles as staff encourage them to build up stacking cups and knock them over. Toddlers learn to take risks as they balance on the obstacle course and climb on the climbing frame which helps to boost their self-confidence. Older children develop their muscles in preparation for early writing as they manipulate play dough with their hands and cut it into pieces using scissors.
• Staff know children very well. They quickly identify if children require additional help. They work closely with parents and carers and seek support form external agencies. While staff await external input, they create individual plans for children to help close the gaps. For example, staff organise small group work with children to boost their confidence and develop their language skills. All children make good progress in their learning.
• Staff provide children with opportunities to talk about their experiences and recall what they already know. For example, at circle time, staff and older children discuss their recent trip to the local train station and talk about what they learned. However, staff do not consistently extend children's learning to get them thinking even further. For example, children use measuring tapes in the garden and say, 'They are really long.' Staff agree but do not use their interactions to help children understand the vocabulary of measure and number or help them to learn what a tape measure is used for.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support all staff to consistently extend and challenge children's learning to help them make even better progress.