Blackthorn Good Neighbours Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this remarkably inclusive and community-focused nursery. Parents and their children are welcomed into the nursery by kind, nurturing staff. Children show that they feel safe and secure as they greet staff and their friends upon arrival. They are excited to discover what is on offer as they confidently and freely explore the well-resourced nursery.

Children are engrossed in sensory play as they squash dinosaurs into foam. Staff extend learning and introduce different vegetables to the activity, such as avocado and kale, for children to explore the different textures. Children learn about dinosaurs being herbivores or carnivores and link this to their peers who are vegetarians or vegans. This supports children to have understanding of others. Toddlers are offered many opportunities to practise their physical skills. For example, they busily fill buckets of water and carry the heavy buckets to fill trays on the floor. They excitedly splash in water as they giggle and laugh. Children begin to learn about healthy eating from a young age. Toddlers peel and chop apples to make healthy breakfast muffins. Oral health is widely supported as children brush their teeth daily with trained oral health staff. This helps children to develop healthy practices.

Children take pride in their daily routine and show increasing independence. For example, after lunch, they sort cutlery, plates and food waste into the correct trays once they have finished eating. Older children are given a role, such as 'snack monitor'. They help to prepare snack and notify friends it is their turn for snack using a photo system. This gives children a sense of ownership of their nursery and helps them to feel valued.

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

• The management and staff team have designed an ambitious curriculum based on their exceptional understanding of children who attend. They discuss children's needs and interests with their co-workers during fortnightly planning meetings. Staff decide precisely how they will support children to work towards their next steps in learning. Those children who are identified with needing additional support attend 'nurture' sessions to enhance their well-being.
• Staff plan exciting activities that specifically meet the developmental needs of the children. All children show high levels of focus and self-motivation to join in. Staff are highly skilled at furthering children's learning with open-ended questions, and confidently allow time for children to answer.
• Children's communication skills are expertly supported in this language-rich environment. Staff speak slowly and clearly, repeating words and modelling sentences. Communication is further enhanced as all staff consistently use
• Makaton sign language as well as visual aids. Further to this, the nursery also provides small-group language sessions. This especially supports children who speak English as an additional language.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works extremely closely with other professionals and parents. She works with a multitude of outside agencies, such as an occupational therapist and a sensory impairment service. This supports staff to receive robust and tailored training on how best to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, all children make the best progress possible.
• Staff are excellent role models. They quickly identify children who struggle to self-regulate their behaviour and offer additional support through their nurture group programme. This means children's behaviour is extremely well supported and children learn to play harmoniously, take turns and be kind to others. For instance, as toddlers hand out cups, their peers us the sign for 'thank you'.
• Staff encourage a love of books. The nursery library contains a wide variety of books in various languages that parents and children can access daily. Parent groups provide further opportunities for parents to share books with their children, supporting early literacy skills. Staff provide play opportunities linked to the 'book of the week', which enhances imaginative play. For example, toddlers name jungle animals, referring back to the characters in the book. They identify patterned material, such as leopard print, and match it to the animals they find.
• The nursery is a valued part of the community. There are exceptional partnerships with parents. Staff offer home visits to further support parents and their children. They regularly speak with parents to explain exactly how they can continue to support their children's development at home. The nursery has also implemented a 'help yourself table' of food donated by local shops which can be accessed by anyone who is part of the nursery community. Children and families who attend this nursery are extremely happy and well supported.
• The manager has created a highly effective team. Monitoring systems work to support staff's professional development and to ensure the quality of teaching is consistently outstanding. Staff are extremely passionate about their roles in providing the best possible outcomes for children.