Boys & Girls Nursery (Rickmansworth) Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly into the welcoming nursery. They behave well and follow staff's guidance and instructions. Children receive support, when needed, to share and take turns. They benefit from activities that are relevant to their own experiences. For instance, toddlers wash baby dolls, which staff have provided due to the number of new siblings in the toddler room.

Children enjoy messy play activities. Younger children focus well as they explore the sand tray, eagerly moving towards this once staff have set it up. Toddlers laugh with delight as they clap their hands together after covering them in bubbles. They watch with interest as the bubbles fly into the air. Children develop their hand-to-eye coordination as they participate in creative activities. They concentrate as they control the pencils to make marks. They talk to visiting adults about what they are drawing, confidently sharing their knowledge about the colours that they use.

Children become independent. They learn to feed themselves from a young age, with staff close by to monitor them. Older children learn to move up and down stairs carefully. They know to hold the handrail to keep safe. Children receive support to settle down to sleep. When they wake up, staff are on hand to gently greet them. Children quickly become alert and join other children in their play.

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

• Babies develop close relationships with staff. They explore their environment with confidence and enjoy opportunities to follow their own interests. Staff work closely with parents to fully understand babies' needs when they first start. Staff provide warm and attentive care, which supports children to settle quickly. As a result, babies make rapid progress and move on to the pre-toddler room with ease.
• Children are confident learners. Staff know their key children well and identify appropriate next steps. Resources are carefully selected to provide the children with a range of experiences. This helps children to focus well. Children gather around the water table. Staff ask the children what they think the water mill will do when they pour the water through it. Children delight as they see the mill spin around as the water flows through. Staff encourage them to explore and make predictions. As a result, children's thinking and problem-solving skills develop well.
• Children gain a deep understanding of language from an early age through staff's positive interactions with them. For instance, staff continually sing and talk to children. Staff introduce new words to younger children at snack time, such as 'banana'. As children progress through the nursery, their strong communication enables them form close friendships. For instance, children confidently sit around a table, talking together, while playing with play dough.
• Staff receive strong support from the management team. Managers encourage them to complete training and develop their professional knowledge. More-established staff members support less-experienced members of the team. They provide positive guidance and encouragement. Managers regularly reflect on their practice and respond positively and promptly to feedback. They involve parents in children's learning, such as by inviting them in for stay-and-play sessions. This gives parents an insight into what their children do at the nursery.
• On the whole, staff support children's learning effectively. The oldest children benefit from small-group activities. These activities help them to build their concentration ready for moving on to school. However, occasionally, staff spend too much time completing routine tasks, such as tidying up after mealtimes. This takes staff away from interacting with children. This means that children sometimes spend too long waiting for the next activity to begin, missing out on potential learning time.
• The management team has recently made improvements to the spacious outdoor area. However, outdoor learning opportunities are not always arranged appropriately by staff, such as when a large number of children from different rooms are outside at the same time. This leads to children struggling to focus and concentrate, and they are not able to fully develop their learning outdoors.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider ways to adapt daily routines so that staff can maximise their interactions with children
• develop the planning and delivery of outdoor activities even further so that children can make the most of their learning opportunities outdoors.