Bertie's Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff are kind, gentle and reassuring with the children, so they are emotionally secure, happy and confident. Staff provide good role models, helping children to develop positive relationships and understand their high expectations of behaviour successfully. Leaders have focused on supporting children's transitions between rooms, providing meetings between the current and next key person and parents, so children quickly settle and staff meet children's emotional and physical needs well.

There is an ambitious curriculum, and staff make good use of their observations and assessments. They know the children well, plan a motivating environment and know what they want children to gain from the activities. For example, babies enjoy spooning rice into containers, helping them to practise handling cutlery to feed themselves. Staff notice what fascinates children and move their learning on, such as providing instruments when young children bang on pans.

Children are active learners and have daily opportunities to be outdoors. For example, toddlers use safe climbing equipment to extend their mobility and coordination. Older children show great curiosity, such as when they use magnifying glasses, there is huge excitement finding a newt and noticing its orange and black spotted tummy. Leaders and staff provide an inclusive environment, in which children have fun learning.

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

• The strong leadership team evaluates their provision and target improvements effectively. For example, they have implemented successful ways to provide a coherent, sequenced curriculum. Helping staff to know what they want children to be able to do before leaving their room ensures that they plan more accurately. They are now focusing on the impact of their continuous provision.
• Children have good opportunities to become independent learners. For example, toddlers work together collaboratively as they help to carry large mats and tidy up. Older children solve problems, extend their creativity and work well as a team, as they wash the small den. Staff help them to see risks and consider what they can do to prevent accidents. Children then confidently explain, 'You can go help them. I know exactly what to do.'
• Older children concentrate well, wait their turn and follow instructions, preparing them well for school. For example, they engage fully in placing three-dimensional shapes in different positions. Staff skilfully support them to see that prepositional language changes, depending on their perspective. Children impressively explain that, sitting opposite someone who has placed the cuboid behind the bowl, for them it is in front.
• Children are confident communicators. Staff use good teaching strategies, such as words with actions for babies. They extend vocabulary and recast toddlers mispronounced words. Staff speak clearly, giving children plenty of time to think and respond, checking their understanding. They engage children in back-and-forth discussions, asking good open-ended questions to extend and sustain children's thinking. However, they do not always encourage quieter children to join in.
• Children gain a positive sense of themselves and other people's differences. For example, babies are fascinated by a puppet having a tongue, and staff help them to see that they have one too. Children use books and resources that represent their backgrounds and develop their awareness of similarities and differences. Older children, while learning about Australia, see a real didgeridoo and then make their own, developing their understanding of the world further.
• Leaders and staff have good partnerships with parents. Parents comment positively on how well staff work with them, such as over children's sleeping routines or changes in diet. Parents confirm how well staff share information on the extensive range of activities and their children's care. However, there are some inconsistencies in how parents know about their children's next stages of learning.
• Staff confirm the good support from leaders. They focus staff's development to have the greatest impact on children. For example, training helped empower staff in providing respectful care. Leaders have provided resources and support for staff to help children understand their emotions. They ensure that they deploy those responsible for supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively to ensure that all children make good progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus staff's development on extending awareness of helping quieter children to engage in discussions
• develop consistent ways to share children's next stages of development with all parents to extend children's learning at home further.