Beach Buddies Braunton

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are confident and happy at this nursery. They eagerly greet their friends as they enter the nurturing learning environment. They have strong relationships with staff and have lovely conversations with them. Children like to talk about what they know and can do and about the meals and snacks they eat at the nursery. For example, older children enjoy talking a lot about the cheese and beans they add to their baked potatoes. They discuss with staff the flavours and origin of food, such as that pears and apples grow on trees.

Children have free access to lots of games and toys, indoors and outdoors. Older children play with tessellation puzzles in the maths area. They develop matching and colour recognition skills. They enjoy playing with and sharing a toy train set and talking about the names of the engines. Younger children enjoy cuddles with staff and singing songs like 'Incy Wincy Spider'. They join in with the different movements to the words of songs. Outdoors, younger children play socially, pretending to sell ice cream to each other from an ice-cream shop. Older children enjoy balancing and climbing on an obstacle course of planks and tyres. Children challenge themselves and take suitable risks. They enjoy role play during a tea party in the mud kitchen, pouring drinks into cups from little tea pots.

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

• Staff ensure that children experience a broad curriculum. They are knowledgeable in the requirements of the early years foundation stage and create interesting activities which children engage in. For example, children enjoy listening to their favourite stories and books, which link to the current project of 'All About Me'. Older children develop creative skills and practice turn-taking while playing musical instruments in a group activity. However, staff do not consistently support older children to develop their independence skills further, particularly at snack time.
• Children make good progress in their learning and development. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported by staff. They receive targeted guidance and make progress. Staff know the children in their care well. The nursery has good links with other early years professionals. However, the nursery does not consistently contact other settings that children attend in order to fully support their learning and progress.
• Leaders and managers have created a positive working environment. Staff report that they are happy in their roles and that they work well together as a team. Staff receive training and continued professional development opportunities. However, managers do not support staff as effectively as they could with their professional development to increase the support for children's learning and development.
• Managers have created a strong focus on language and communication. Staff extend children's vocabulary, for example, introducing new words like 'peppers' and 'mozzarella' when they make a pretend pizza. Children are confident communicators and the most able children speak with nine-word sentences. They explain that they are making star and dog bone shapes with the dough they are moulding. Staff support children with speech delays to become confident speakers. They use sign language to support children to express themselves, and give children time to think and respond to questions. They quickly support children who are in need of help to overcome difficulties.
• Staff guide children to build their knowledge of the world and religious and cultural celebrations. For example, younger children enjoy a mark-making activity with coloured rice, paint brushes and Mandarin number symbols. They develop creative skills and knowledge of Chinese New Year. Older children explore making Chinese paper lanterns. Staff support children to celebrate equality and diversity with dolls and books which provoke discussion. They read books like 'Children like Me' to enable children to understand and celebrate similarities and differences.
• Relationships with parents are positive. Parents report that they feel well supported by managers and staff and that their children are happy to come to nursery. They say they receive regular feedback on children's learning and development. Managers have created an inclusive environment, where they invite families to special events like the recent Christmas party.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop communication strategies for contacting other settings when a child attends another provision to increase support for children's learning and development
• reorganise arrangements for older children during snack time to increase independence
• extend training and coaching strategies for staff to build their confidence and skills further and provide more effective support for children.