Beechwood Nursery & Pre-school Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

There is a warm and nurturing atmosphere at the nursery. Children are relaxed, happy and settled. Babies wave and laugh as they sit together listening to a story and clap along as the staff sing familiar rhymes. Older children giggle with their friends and staff as they play a guessing game, drawing pictures on a board. Children cuddle up with staff as they enjoy listening to a story sitting under a tree in the outdoor area. This demonstrates the positive relationships that children have with the staff and each other.

Pre-school children wait politely at the gate to the wooded area. They then walk carefully through the gate and excitedly go to explore the woods and the activities on offer. Children have great fun as they dig a water-filled hole, taking turns to use the spade and encouraging their friends as they dig deeper and deeper. Children rake up leaves and concentrate hard as they throw stones into buckets strung up high among the trees. They play in a mud kitchen making a 'magic potion' and explore the area looking for a 'treasure chest'. These activities support children to develop their physical skills and their imaginations well.

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

• There is an ambitious curriculum in place for all children. Leaders and staff collect information about children's level of development when they start at the nursery. They carefully map out children's next steps and support them to make these next steps through planned activities and thoughtful interactions. Usually, activities are well planned and engaging for children. However, occasionally, the activities planned are not interesting to the children. At these times, children are not as motivated to learn and progress is less secure.
• Staff and leaders have a strong commitment to supporting all children, including those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to achieve their full potential. The nursery works proactively with a wide range of partners in order to seek further specialist support and advice. Staff have undertaken additional training to enable them to support all children in the best possible way. Staff speak with genuine warmth and pride about children's progress and achievements and their high ambitions for their next steps. This ensures that all children make good progress.
• Overall, children are supported and encouraged to develop their independence skills. Children are encouraged to put on their own waterproof suits and boots when they go to play in the wooded area. However, at times, some staff do things for children that they could do themselves, such as serving their own cereal or pouring their own milk. At these times, the development of children's independence is not as well supported.
• At times, children are supported to understand how to be healthy and to learn good self-care. Children are taught to wash their hands after they have been to the toilet and about oral hygiene and tooth brushing. However, at other times, children are not as effectively supported. For example, children are not consistently reminded to cover their mouths when they cough or supported to wipe their noses. This does not fully help them to establish strong foundations for self-care routines.
• Staff report that they are well supported by leaders and the wider team. Staff are encouraged to continually enhance their skills and knowledge. They undertake additional training and qualifications and discuss their professional development at formal supervision meetings. Staff are encouraged to be reflective of their own practice. For example, staff carry out audits of the environment in their room to make the provision even more engaging for the children. This ensures that the provision continues to develop and improve to support the needs of children.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery and the staff. They say that the staff and leaders are 'really amazing' and that they are always friendly, helpful and caring. Parents appreciate events such as stay-and-play days and parent meetings. These events enable parents to see the activities on offer in the nursery and discuss their child's progress and next steps in detail. This supports parents to continue children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• further enhance the implementation of the curriculum so that all children are consistently motivated to learn
• further support children's independence skills and encourage children to do more things for themselves
• support children to learn more about good hygiene practice and self-care skills.