Bluebell Nursery & Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children form close relationships with staff. They eagerly run in to see staff when they arrive and are greeted warmly, staff show genuine pleasure in seeing the children and chat with them happily. Staff have developed skilful techniques to support children's behaviour and implement these consistently. Children benefit from the staff's clear explanations, learning to share items and appreciate the needs of the others. Visual cues are used well by staff to support children with the routines of the day. Sand timers help children take turns with toys, picture timetables and countdown signs help them understand what is happening next.

Staff have clear intentions for supporting children in their learning and implement their plans well. They provide interesting areas for children to explore, stimulating activities and good teaching. The nursery has a high proportion of children that are bilingual or who speak English as an additional language. Staff are very attentive and sensitively join children in their play extending their understanding, speech and learning effectively. They give children time to respond. Children listen well and are keen to learn. Many staff are multilingual and offer strong support for children's language. They model words in both the children's home language and English, building children's confidence effectively. They translate skilfully and ensure children understand and progress their skills.

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

• Managers and staff have shown dedication to improving practice at the nursery. They have received a great deal of support from outside professionals, such as local authority advisors, and undertaken considerable relevant training. Their clear action plans and targets have been focused upon and implemented closely to ensure that practice, teaching and the environment support children to learn and develop to a good level.
• Staff observe children as they play. Each child's key person tracks their achievements and focuses carefully on any gaps in children's development. They follow children's interests and outline suitable next steps in their learning. Children make good progress, including those in receipt of additional funding.
• Managers and staff promote a strong community feel and broaden children's understanding of the world well. Parents really value the nursery's regular 'trip of the month', offering interesting useful experiences for their children. Staff take children on visits out into the local area, to nearby parks, the library and local shops, and the beach and pier.
• Children count items in books, spoonfuls of ingredients, they talk about how many items they have in their role-play area. However, staff do not consistently teach children about other maths concepts. In a cooking activity and when planting seeds, staff miss the opportunity to discuss capacity and quantity fully.
• Similarly to this, they do not make comparisons in size as children construct towers with large bricks building these taller than themselves.
• Children develop their independence skills and sense of responsibility well. They help tidy away toys. They persevere to change into their outdoor clothes and get their boots on. Staff empower them to manage the tasks on their own, and children listen to the staff's well-placed tips which make their confidence grow. Children do very well and are proud of their achievements.
• Staff foster a calm atmosphere at the nursery. The new thoughtful routines and decluttered environment provide suitable areas and sessions that foster children's focused exploration and learning. Smaller group sessions for the pre-school children beneficially reduce the number of children outside at one time and inside children are offered interesting adult-led activities, such as cooking.
• Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are closely supported to reach their potential. Their key person liaises with parents and other professionals to outline targets, these are focused on and implemented very effectively. Staff are skilful in their support building the children's understanding, involvement and communication very well.
• Staff develop good partnerships with parents. They share information with them through daily chats, online through an app they use and during regular parents' meetings. The provider and bilingual staff ensure that parents understand the information shared and often translate general information into parent's home language. However, staff have not developed links with other settings children attend to inform future planning and a consistent approach for children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to extend their teaching of mathematical concepts to extend children's skills further
• strengthen the sharing of information with other settings children are involved with, to inform future planning and provide a consistent approach for children.