Bowes Park Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff have strong relationships with all children at this nursery, particularly those working with the youngest children. They build very strong attachments with them. Staff fully understand their role as key persons and make sure that babies and toddlers are well cared for by giving them the attention and support they need. Babies enthusiastically join in with the words or actions when staff sing. Babies enjoy being rewarded for their participation with smiles, words, gestures and cuddles.

Children behave very well because staff have high expectations of how they should behave. On the rare occasion that children demonstrate unwanted behaviour, staff quickly remind them of the rules in the nursery. Managers design and implement the curriculum well. They ensure that staff consider what they want children to learn during the activities they provide. This helps all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to make good progress in their learning and development. Staff extend children's learning through thoughtful interactions with all children. Children are fully engaged in their learning throughout their time at the nursery.

Children have lots of opportunities to develop their early communication skills. This supports children to develop into confident talkers. When children speak more than one language, staff learn key words in children's home languages. Staff use sign language to support children's understanding while they are developing their spoken English.

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

• The manager and staff create a broad and balanced curriculum. Staff know where their key children are up to in their development. They also plan appropriate activities that build on children's prior knowledge. Staff sequence children's learning effectively and know the next steps in their development. Children make good progress in their learning.
• The nursery benefits from a strong management team. The manager is knowledgeable and has a clear vision for the nursery and what she wants children to learn. The nursery has close links with the local authority and acts on advice and guidance to support practice and provision.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills well. Interactions between staff and children are positive. They help to promote children's emerging speech. However, there are times during larger group activities when some children are more confident to speak than others. This means that children who are less confident are not always encouraged to join in and express their own thoughts and ideas.
• A strong focus is placed on early literacy. Staff interact and talk with the children to introduce new and rich vocabulary. Toddlers' enjoyment of the book 'The Tiger Who Came to Tea' is further enhanced with staff providing the props from the book with children re-enacting the story.
• Staff use children's interests and passions when planning activities and responding to their play. For example, some older children are extremely interested in planets. Staff provide books and resources with interesting information that children discuss as they draw and create planets with different features. This ensures that children engage and are curious to find out more.
• Children's good health is promoted well. They learn the importance of good oral health and participate in daily toothbrushing. They know the importance of washing their hands to keep them clean and to stop the spread of germs. This helps children to learn about personal hygiene and how to help prevent infection and cross-contamination.
• Staff are good role models and give children clear messages about behaviour expectations. Staff encourage children to share, take turns and be gentle with one another. Children remind the staff that they have 'kind hands'. Staff understand that children learn from what they see and hear, and they ensure that they consistently model good manners. As a result, children learn to behave well, be respectful to others and use good manners.
• Children sit together at mealtimes, demonstrating good social skills, and feed themselves from a very young age. However, children sit waiting at the tables before staff are ready. This can sometimes lead to children waiting for extended periods of time, which affects their behaviour as they become restless.
• Parent partnerships are strong, which leads to good outcomes for children. Parents speak highly of the care and education their children receive. They commend the staff for their hard work and support for their children's progress. They comment on feeling fully informed through verbal communication and the mobile app.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• refine the organisation of lunchtime routines so staff are fully prepared, and children do not have to wait unnecessarily
• encourage children who are less confident to contribute and express their ideas during group activities.