Beacon Lane Day Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children show they feel safe and secure. They confidently separate from their parents and carers when they arrive at nursery. Babies go to staff for cuddles and reassurance when they are unsure of visitors. Children show a love of books. Babies sit on the knees of staff and turn pages of a book while feeling the different textures. Toddlers take a book to staff and listen to a story. Pre-school children become completely immersed in a story when staff read it in an engaging and animated way.

Children have access to a wide range of interesting resources and activities that staff plan based on children's individual needs and interests. They show high levels of curiosity and spend a long time at the activities they choose to engage in. Babies demonstrate a strong exploratory impulse as they engage in sensory play. For instance, they investigate water and watch in awe as they create bubbles by splashing the water with their hands. Toddlers and pre-school children share and explore tools, such as pipettes, to develop their fine motor skills. They experiment with coloured liquids and shaving foam. Children have opportunities to talk about the colours they see. Staff extend their learning further by encouraging them to have a go at mixing colours.

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

• The manager and her staff team have a commitment to helping all children achieve the most that they are capable of. There is a clear focus on ensuring that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who are at risk of falling behind their peers receive prompt support. Staff work well in partnership with parents to put targeted plans in place while awaiting professional support from other agencies. This helps children move on to the next stage in their learning.
• Overall, interactions between staff and children are good. For example, babies explore running cars down guttering. Staff gently support them to use their problem-solving skills to decide which way works best. However, occasionally, staff's interactions with toddlers could be improved. For example, some staff remain at activities that they are leading, and newer, less-experienced staff are not fully confident to support other toddlers who are not accessing adult-led activities. This results in some children wandering and not having the highest quality learning experiences.
• Staff understand the well-sequenced curriculum. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have noticed that children's physical skills have not been as developed as in previous years. As a result, there is a clear focus on encouraging children to practise using their upper-body core strength. This is particularly evident when children access the superb natural garden space, where risk-taking, swinging and climbing are given high priority. Children use brushes to paint on the trees. Staff add to the experience as they encourage the children to flick the paint as high as they can up the tree trunk.
• Children develop important independence skills from a young age. For example, pre-school children serve their own food at lunchtime and pour their own drinks. Young children are starting to manage their own self-care needs independently. Staff encourage babies to take their tissue to the bin after wiping their nose.
• Children have good opportunities to learn about nature and living things through first-hand experiences. They help to feed and clean out the nursery chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs.
• Staff provide clear expectations for behaviour. Children learn why some behaviours are not acceptable through the patient, calm and kind guidance of staff. Children behave well and form good friendships with each other. They seek each other out to play and share their experiences.
• Parents speak positively about the nursery. They feel that their children are happy and well cared for and that they make good progress in their learning. Many of the children have followed their older siblings into the nursery. Staff share what children have learned and what they need to learn next. This contributes to the continuity of learning at home and at nursery.
• Staff comment that they feel well supported by the manager. They complete training, such as accessing higher qualifications.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support newer and less-experienced staff to develop their interactions, to help all children have quality adult interactions consistently.