Brambles Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are safe and well cared for at this nursery. They form very good attachments with the staff. Children speak confidently to adults, expressing their wants and needs. Toddlers learn to wait and take turns with toys, and pre-school children model positive behaviour to their younger peers, reminding each other to share their toys. Children are confident to interact in mixed-age groups in the garden, sharing trains and mark making using paint.

Children are encouraged to develop their independence. They cut up their snack with knives and make choices about what fruits they want to eat. Children participate in self-care routines independently in preparation for school. They are encouraged to be active and use the outdoors as a means of exploration. Children use the mud kitchen cooperatively, baking cakes and taking turns with their peers. They make use of a wooded area, where they engage in forest school activities and explore the natural environment.

Children gain new experiences and learn about their wider community. They visit farms and the local community to gain new experiences. Children have visits from the MAGPAS air ambulance and people who help them to gain knowledge about the wider community.

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

• Staff join in with children's play and help to build their vocabulary. For example, children playing with an optician's set learn words such as 'visually impaired', 'glasses' and 'optometrist'. Staff members repeat the words and check that children understand these as they play. However, children sometimes need more time to respond during conversations.
• Children work collaboratively together. For example, they work together in the garden to construct a train track. Toddlers play alongside one another and with each other in the sand tray. Staff help them to build friendships with those around them. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are quickly identified. Staff support them with short, focused activities to help them interact with others in preparation for school and later life. They use visual boards to support children to understand what will happen next. These strategies contribute towards all children making good progress.
• The nursery works very well with parents to ensure that children are happy and secure. Parents say they 'would be lost without them'. Links with local schools are strong and children are happy and confident to start school. Pre-school children visit the school next door for an hour a week in preparation for their next stage of learning.
• Children who speak English as an additional language receive strong support.
• Staff find out about children's backgrounds when they start at the nursery. They learn key vocabulary in children's home languages and work collaboratively with parents. This helps them to meet children's needs. Younger children demonstrate their developing understanding of English. For instance, they talk about animals and what baby animals are called. Staff provide children with relevant language as they complete activities and use visual aids to support this. As a result, children are able to communicate what they know effectively with staff.
• The management team and staff have identified the impact that COVID-19 has had on children. As a result of this, staff encourage children to interact with others and build their confidence. Children spoke to the inspector to involve her in their play and confidently told her about what they enjoy at nursery.
• Overall, children behave well. They sit down and eat their meals together, developing their manners and reminding each other of the nursery rules. However, children do not consistently benefit from rich opportunities to enjoy a social experience at mealtimes that supports high-quality interactions with adults and their peers.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• give children the time they need to enable them to process their thoughts and respond with their answers
• review the organisation of mealtimes to provide children with a sociable experience that raises that quality of their interactions with adults and each other.