Barton Pre-School Nursery, Early Bird & Stay And Play Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are excited to arrive and are greeted warmly by welcoming staff. They separate from their parents with ease and quickly settle into their chosen play. Key persons build strong relationships with children's parents and gather detailed information to help them get to know each child well. Staff support children to play together. They learn to take turns and cooperate with their friends. Children receive appropriate praise and encouragement to support them to persevere and promote their well-being. In addition, children confidently approach new people, demonstrating that they feel safe and secure. Children's behaviour is good.

Leaders and staff create an ambitious curriculum to help prepare children for their next stages in learning. For example, staff support younger children to develop their self-care skills, such as putting their coats on in preparation for outdoor play. In addition, pre-school children attend weekly assemblies to celebrate their achievements at nursery, such as 'star of the week'. Furthermore, all children spend time socialising with children from the host school as they have their lunch in the school hall. This means all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), obtain skills that will be useful for starting school.

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

• Leaders have clear goals for the nursery. They regularly reflect on how to make improvements that benefit the children. They monitor the quality of the provision closely and identify priorities that focus on improving outcomes for families. Leaders also make effective use of additional funding, including the early years pupil premium. This helps all children to make good progress in their learning.
• Mathematics is firmly embedded into children's learning. Staff confidently weave mathematical language into children's play. For example, staff support children to learn about monetary values as they engage in role play. They develop an understanding of mathematical concepts, such as addition and subtraction, as they work out how many coins and notes they need to pay for their 'haircuts'. This helps to support children to develop an understanding of using money in the world around them.
• Staff in the nursery keep parents well informed through daily conversations, parent meetings and use of an online app. Parents report that they appreciate the professional, caring approach of staff and that they feel well supported, particularly regarding children with SEND.
• Leaders and staff work closely with other professionals to ensure that all children get the support they need. The nursery is fully inclusive and well resourced, with strong, trusting relationships between staff and children and a clear focus on supporting children with SEND. This helps all children to make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff complete regular assessments of children's development and identify individual targets for each child. They use this information to plan experiences that support children to make progress in their learning. The learning opportunities provided are available to children of all ages. However, sometimes, staff do not always consider how to support the different abilities of the children taking part. For example, during free play, some children wander and spend extended periods without purposeful interactions from staff. Consequently, these children are not fully engaged in purposeful learning that maximises progress.
• Overall, children demonstrate a positive attitude to learning and enjoy taking part in group activities. For example, children are highly engaged as staff support them to tie knots. They demonstrate high levels of concentration as they develop their finger dexterity and critical thinking skills. However, on occasion, some staff do not consistently engage and challenge the quieter or less confident learners, particularly during adult-led group learning. This means some children do not consistently benefit from the intended learning.
• In the main, the curriculum for communication and language is good. Younger children demonstrate a love of books as staff encourage them to make animal noises that link to puppets as they read and act out their favourite stories. However, at times, staff do not recognise when increasing noise levels impact on what children can hear. This does not fully support children's listening and attention skills.
• Staff feel well supported, both personally and professionally. They attend regular training, and leaders encourage them to complete qualifications to support the improvement of practice. Staff morale is high, and this helps staff to feel dedicated and excited to care for and educate children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• refine curriculum planning so learning experiences more consistently take account of children's current stage of development
• identify and address any minor weaknesses in teaching, such as supporting staff to enable quieter children to express their thoughts and ideas during group times
• support staff to minimise noise levels in the rooms to fully enable all children to hear what is being said and concentrate on their learning.