Beech Hill Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy their learning in this warm, vibrant and friendly nursery. They make good progress overall in all aspects of their development. Staff prepare children well for the next stage in their learning, including systematically developing the skills and knowledge they need for starting school. For example, children learn to increasingly control their mark-making skills as they create intricate designs with paints and glitter to make lanterns for German St Martin's Day. Such activities help to prepare children for the later development of their writing skills.

Children are safe and secure. They rise to the staff's high expectations and are very well behaved. Children, including those who find it difficult to manage their emotions, build strong relationships with the positive and friendly staff and learn to play with others. Staff skilfully help children to build their confidence and independence. Children learn how to take care of themselves and live healthily. For example, they regularly spend time outside engaged in meaningful physical activities and learn how to wash their hands and keep their teeth clean. Parents overwhelmingly appreciate the friendly and purposeful nature of the staff and the confidence and independence that their children achieve.

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

• Staff plan well overall to help children build sequentially on their previous learning, particularly for their communication, personal and physical skills. The planning is not as sharply developed for all areas of their learning and, occasionally, work is not as keenly matched to children's needs as it could be. This includes, for example, building systematically on children's knowledge of shapes or learning to mix paint colours.
• Staff strongly support children with SEND. They identify gaps in children's learning and development at an early stage through robust assessments and the good involvement of parents. Staff act promptly to secure the help that children need. They work very closely with other professionals, such as speech and language therapists and inclusion and support teams, to help prepare children for their later learning.
• Staff prioritise the development of children's communication skills. They make very good use of songs and rhymes to engage children in listening to and learning new words and phrases. They help children to speak confidently to others and develop a rich vocabulary as, for example, they join in their kitchen role play or shark-infested water play.
• Staff encourage children to develop a love of books. They introduce children to a breadth of fiction, non-fiction and the children's own photo books and stories that progressively develop their language skills and knowledge of the world.
• Babies greatly enjoy feeling the tactile pages and lift flaps as they share the 'That's Not My' animal stories with staff. Older children very much enjoy following the adventures in 'The Gruffalo' or animals in different countries as they listen to the very well-told story of 'Roar'.
• Leaders are ambitious to ensure that all children leave the nursery as happy, confident and eager learners. They are well qualified and are strong role models to staff and children. Staff, including apprentices, are passionate about their roles. They work well as a team and share their training and experiences. There is a very low turnover of staff and morale is high.
• Staff are good role models and help children to be courteous and behave well. Children learn to say 'please' and 'thank you' as they play and learn. The parents of children who have difficulty managing their own emotions comment very positively on the effectiveness of the guidance that staff offer for improving attitudes at home.
• Staff support the development of children's physical skills well. Parents comment on the very positive support they receive to help with children's toilet training. Babies are given many opportunities to stretch and reach out for toys and furniture as they increase their mobility. Children learn to control their movements, balance and jump as they play on climbing structures and obstacle courses.
• Parents strongly recommend the nursery. They know children's key workers well and welcome the regular communication to support children's progress. They appreciate the staff's commitment to making their children's lives happy and to preparing them well for the future.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• sharpen the curriculum planning to ensure that work is consistently closely matched to children's further development, especially in mathematics and expressive art and design.