Blythwood Community Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and well settled in this friendly and welcoming nursery. They develop affectionate relationships with staff and show that they feel very safe and at ease in their care. For instance, children include staff in their role play, confident that staff will listen to their ideas and play along. Children are friendly towards others and demonstrate good social and communication skills. Older children seek out their friends to play imaginative and physical games. During a spontaneous football game, children negotiated rules and ensured that everyone who wanted to join in could take part.

Children develop positive attitudes towards their learning. They are highly motivated to explore, indoors and outdoors. The wide range of resources and activities excites children's curiosity and interest. For example, children discover different textures as they play with natural materials, such as sand. Additional resources, such as toy animals, encourage children to use their imaginations and develop their understanding of the world. Children are well supported in their learning and make good progress. This includes children who receive funding and those children who speak English as an additional language. Children acquire key skills to support the next stages in their learning and prepare them for starting school.

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

• The manager demonstrates a passionate commitment to the staff team and the children and families that use the nursery. She recognises the challenges that they have faced during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) epidemic. The manager ensures that there is emotional and practical support in place to help staff, children and families overcome these. For example, the manager delivers food from a local food bank to families who do not have their own transport.
• The manager and staff gather a wealth of information about children by observing them and talking to their parents. They plan a wide range of experiences to support children's interests, promote their learning and prepare them for later life. For instance, children have fun during sports and exercise sessions delivered by specialist teachers. These sessions help children to develop their physical skills and help to lay the foundations for healthy lifestyles.
• Parents are very happy about the care and education that their children receive. They say that their children have grown in confidence and speak more fluently since starting the nursery. Parents comment that staff are friendly and approachable. They feel well informed about what their children enjoy and learn at the nursery.
• Staff are professionally qualified and experienced. Generally, the quality of teaching is high. For instance, staff use questioning well to support children's thinking skills. However, on occasion, staff do not adapt their teaching effectively, to make sure that all children learn as much as possible. For example, staff do not always check and clarify children's understanding or ensure that quieter children are encouraged to share their ideas.
• Children are enthusiastic and active learners. They develop a keen interest in reading. Children enjoy looking at books independently and listen intently to stories read by adults. Staff ensure that there is a good selection of factual books in different areas of the nursery. This supports children to discover new information as they play and broadens their understanding of the world.
• Many of the children attending speak English as an additional language. The manager and staff support them to use their home languages in the setting. For example, by using familiar words to support children's care routines. Staff also focus on supporting children's communication in English. They sing songs with children and introduce new language during their play, to extend children's vocabularies. Staff ask questions and engage in detailed conversations with children, to help them become confident talkers.
• Children gain the confidence and independence they need for the future. Staff focus on developing children's personal care skills. For instance, children learn to use the toilet, wash their hands thoroughly and use cutlery to eat. Staff are excellent role models for children and manage their behaviour consistently and fairly. Children behave very well, they are kind to each other and enjoy playing together.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to identify ways that they can improve their teaching further, in particular ensuring that they clarify children's understanding and recognise where quieter children need more support.