Bolton Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at this welcoming and friendly nursery. They benefit greatly from caring relationships with familiar and experienced staff. Babies grow in confidence from the care they receive. Staff have detailed knowledge of their key children's needs. They swiftly respond to children who may be upset and support them to engage in their favourite activities. Children demonstrate they feel safe.

Children listen and willingly respond to routines, knowing what is expected of them; for example, they help their friends at tidy up time. Staff create a pleasant, yet busy, environment. They model how to be kind and share. Pre-school children confidently talk to visitors about their outdoor adventures. Children behave well.

Staff are enthusiastic and show passion for what children are interested in. They inspire creativity in children's imaginative play as they 'dress up' and role play alongside them. Excitement fills the air as babies laugh repeating, 'ready, steady, go' for their cars to go faster up and over a bridge. Young children happily chatter as they weave in and out of transparent easels making swirling patterns with markers. Older children gasp in awe and delight, as they investigate how to make their friends reflections get bigger and smaller in the Christmas tree baubles. Children have a positive attitude for their next stage of learning.

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

• Parents are happy with the care and education their children receive. They comment on how 'kind, caring and affectionate' the staff are in this 'home from home' setting. Staff and parents share relevant information when children first start or move rooms. Leaders create further partnerships with the schools that children move to. Children are ready for their next stage of learning.
• Leaders have a clear understanding of what they would like children to learn. Staff develop a curriculum based on children's interests and what they can do. However, staff are not always consistent in how to implement curriculum intentions effectively. For example, on occasion, large physical games or targeted learning are carried out in the main room, as opposed to outdoors or quieter spaces. This distracts children's intended focus. As a result, children do not consistently make the best progress in their learning.
• Children have ample opportunities to be physical. Babies vigorously use large muscle movements to climb up and over a bridge. Children skilfully balance as they cross planks of wood without falling. Outdoors, children build coordination, walk with stilts and ride on scooters. Children squeeze dough or snip with scissors to exercise small muscle movements in their hands. As a result, children make good progress with their physical development.
• Overall, staff promote children's communication skills well. Children are surrounded by conversation, singing and stories. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported with key words in their home language. Older children talk through their opinions and ideas. However, staff do not always encourage children to put their dummies away when they are not needed. This limits their opportunities to practise their developing speaking skills.
• Staff skilfully weave mathematics into children's everyday play. Babies and young children are introduced to counting and colours as they transport 'red cars' and sing number rhymes. Staff explore simple addition and subtraction with children using fingers to represent the total. Children predict how many bricks tall their friends are, introducing concepts of measurement. Children's mathematical and problem-solving skills are secure.
• Children who have special educational needs/and or disabilities (SEND) receive good care and support. Leaders work with external professionals to identify training needs of new staff to ensure they support children's targeted plans. Children with SEND settle quickly and progress from their starting points.
• Care practices are good. Staff promote the importance of healthy living and model good hygiene routines. For example, they discuss the importance of hand washing and how eating vegetables gives us energy. Staff discuss how children feel after outdoor play and the effects of cold weather on their bodies. Children have a good awareness of physical health appropriate for their age.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on staff's understanding of how to further support young children's communication and language skills
• support staff to consistently implement the curriculum to allow all children to effectively engage and achieve the most from their learning experiences.