Best Nursery (Shefford)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time in this positive environment and are settled and secure. They approach new experiences confidently and are eager to explore. For example, they look at items and predict which will sink or float. They keep a pictorial record of their predictions, updating this after they have carried out the experiment. Children respond to staff's high expectations, praise and encouragement, and they persevere at tasks. For instance, children work together to make a castle, trying different ways to do this and sharing their ideas with their friends.

Children follow the good example set by staff and show kindness and respect towards one another. They listen carefully and show they are interested when their friends explain their drawings to them. Children develop a practical knowledge of healthy lifestyles. For example, they discuss why they need to clean their teeth and explain confidently that they need to wash germs off their hands before eating. Children are gaining a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Older children help with risk assessments, using picture cards to highlight any risks. Staff understand the possible effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns. They offer additional support to aid children in developing their communication skills.

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

• Leaders and managers have addressed the actions set at the last inspection. The manager's positive attitude inspires staff and they reflect her commitment to continuously improving the nursery. Practical changes have been made to the supervision process. All staff receive regular supervision that enables them to plan training and develop their practice. Staff report that they feel part of a team and are well supported.
• There are secure procedures for checking what each child needs to learn next and for ensuring that all children make good progress. Staff are clear about the intention of each activity, creatively including children's interests so that their attention is quickly captured. The manager supports staff in swiftly identifying where children need extra support, helping to ensure that no child falls behind in their learning.
• Children have opportunities to explore the wider world and its diversity. For instance, they visit local shops and the school library. Younger children enjoy looking at their 'home books' and start to note the differences and similarities between families.
• Staff recognise the importance of supporting children to develop their language skills. They join children for discussions and help younger children to use simple sign language to aid early communication. Older children use their good language skills to explain their thoughts and play. For example, they explain how a level crossing works.
• Children show an enjoyment of books. Older children listen intently to a rhyming story and later repeat this with their friends. Younger children eagerly act out a favourite story, remembering the 'swirling snow storm'.
• Staff pay close attention to children's interests and use these to help support children's development. For example, children interested in making gingerbread people make salt dough. They cut out people and decorate these to represent their favourite football teams. Activities such as this help children to experiment and express their creativity.
• Parents think highly of the nursery and praise staff. They feel that staff communicate well with them, for example, through daily discussions and regular reports. Staff support parents to build on their children's learning. For instance, they provide practical information about what children have been doing and offer ideas to extend this.
• Staff are enthusiastic and interact well with children. They generally use open questions and encourage children to think further. For example, when children play with a construction set, staff wonder how they will be able to join the pieces and this encourages children to try different methods. However, on occasion, staff do not always make the best use of their teaching knowledge to aid them in fully extending the activities they offer children.
• Children enjoy playing outside. For example, younger children listen carefully to the crunching sound they make as they walk in the snow. However, staff do not always offer as many outdoor opportunities as possible to fully build on the development of children who prefer to play outside.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to put their teaching knowledge into practice more consistently, so that they can fully extend children's learning during activities, for example
• aid staff to make greater use of outdoor areas to offer children who prefer to be outside further play and learning opportunities.