Barnston Buddies

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children love coming to this calm nursery. Staff do their best to include each child fully in activities. Children say goodbye to their parents with confidence because they feel happy and safe to spend time learning and exploring with their many friends. Children who are new to the nursery settle well. This is because of leaders' thoughtful approach to calm children's anxieties about separating from their parents for the first time.

Children learn much new knowledge because of leaders' well-considered curriculum. They concentrate fully on the meaningful learning opportunities that staff provide. Children delight in coming together at group time, such as when they learn to move their arms to swish ribbons in the air. They also learn that this is a time to concentrate and listen carefully to what staff say.

Children behave themselves because of the many successful ways that leaders and staff guide children about how to be kind and thoughtful. They play in harmony with one another. Children benefit from staff's teaching, playful interactions and skilful use of resources. They learn important language, such as to recognise, name and express tricky emotions when they arise.

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

• In most areas of learning, leaders have constructed a well-thought-out curriculum through which staff teach children the important knowledge that they need to learn. Leaders ensure that staff talk often with children, including helping them to think and to express their thoughts and ideas. Leaders and staff help children to keep on trying when learning becomes difficult.
• Often, staff can be heard reading aloud with the children. They help children to pay attention to the pictures and words in books and to enjoy stories. However, leaders' curriculum for using books with children lacks purpose. This does not help to build on children's previous knowledge about books.
• The nursery is full of chatter. Staff encourage children to start conversations, for instance, by showing that they are genuinely interested in what each child wants to say. They choose their questions carefully and children are bursting to answer in response. This supports children's emerging language and thinking skills.
• Children behave sensibly. This is because staff skilfully help children to learn about the daily routines and the nursery rules for how to behave. For example, staff redirect unwanted behaviours by positively stating instead what children should do. Children learn to adapt their own behaviours well.
• Children develop positive, trusting relationships with staff. Staff successfully help children to learn to take turns when waiting for resources. Then, when children have learned about waiting, staff build on this important knowledge. For example, staff help children to learn about the importance of sharing.
• Staff encourage children to talk and listen to one another thoughtfully. They help children to notice one another and to use children's names during play and songs. Children practise their newly learned words, such as 'paint, bright' and 'colour' in their play. This supports children's language and social skills.
• Leaders have reduced the workload of staff successfully. As a result, staff spend much of their time working with the children. Leaders help staff to avoid wasting time on unnecessary paperwork. Leaders check the quality of staff's work regularly. They support staff effectively, such as modelling to staff improved ways to support children's play and learning.
• Staff ensure that lunchtimes are a calm and social occasion for children. The tasty meals that staff provide for children are healthy. However, leaders have not worked closely enough with parents to ensure that children's packed lunches are healthy and nutritious. This impacts on some children's awareness of the foods to eat and to avoid.
• Parents are complimentary about the nursery. They said that their children feel at ease when attending. Parents appreciate the information that staff share with them about their child's progress, so that they can support their learning further at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• work in partnership with parents to promote children's good health even further with regards to healthy food choices
• strengthen the curriculum in literacy, so that children develop knowledge and understanding about books.