Beacon Hill Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy coming to the nursery. They settle quickly and form strong bonds with the staff and with each other. They are caring towards their friends, take turns and share well. Children enjoy taking part in the activities on offer and staff are aware of their interests and likes. Older children engage for sustained lengths of times in activities. Staff play alongside children and build well on their communication and learning.

Older children make their own choices about their play. For example, outside, children decide what resources they want out of the shed and tell this to staff. Children use buckets and balls to create their own game. They throw coloured balls in an attempt to get them to land in the buckets. They enjoy counting how many balls they throw, saying what colours they are and rejoicing when they or their friend are successful. Younger children enjoy playing near staff and using paint dabbers and pens to make marks with. They enjoy exploring the role-play kitchen and looking at books with staff. Younger children enjoy exploring the 'pirate ship' in the garden and investigating the mud kitchen. Children behave well and have good manners. They develop positive self-esteem.

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

• The manager has a clear vision for how she wants the provision and the staff to develop. She has a good understanding of the curriculum and works with staff to plan and implement an interesting range of activities that engage children in their learning.
• All requirements, policies, documentation and processes are in place to help keep children safe and ensure staff are meeting children's care and learning needs. Management and staff investigate concerns and complete action plans to address any lessons learned and to inform them of how to improve their practice.
• Management and staff work closely with other professionals and parents to ensure that children with emerging or identified special educational needs and/or disabilities receive prompt and consistent support. This helps them to make the best possible progress they are capable of.
• Staff act as good role models to each other and to children. They promote a positive attitude towards other cultures and backgrounds, including those children have. Children learn about the wider world, and staff work closely with parents to incorporate children's home religions and cultural requirements into activities. This enables all children to be involved in cultural festivals in a respectful way.
• Partnership with parents is strong. All parents spoken with were keen to say how well their children settle at the nursery. They explain how staff share communication with both parents equally well, and keep them informed about their children's day and their developmental achievements.
• The manager supervises the staff and works with them to identify professional development opportunities. Staff who are completing their qualifications comment on how the staff and their assessors support them well during their training. They explain how this helps them in developing their knowledge and their practice in childcare.
• Staff are nurturing to the younger children, who have opportunities to play with the resources that are out, look at books and cruise around the furniture. However, daily opportunities for children to explore and experiment, in their room, using natural resources, a variety of materials and different textures are limited. This does not enable children to explore and experiment using their senses, or enable staff to use these interactions to build further on children's language and vocabulary skills.
• Older children are gaining the skills they need for their future learning. However, on occasion, staff are not consistent in encouraging children to do tasks for themselves that they are capable of, or in taking ownership for their environment. For example, some staff encourage children to help tidy up, and talk about why it is important to do this to keep the toys together and the floor clear of hazards. Other staff do the tidying up for children. At snack time, some children serve themselves their drinks and snack, and others have this done for them, despite being able.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• increase opportunities for the youngest children to explore and experiment using their senses
• support staff to consistently promote and encourage children's independence skills and their sense of responsibility for their environment.