Bridge End House Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the setting happy and separate from their parents with ease. Staff ensure that children feel safe and secure. They develop positive relationships with children. Staff are sensitive to children's needs. They approach children with warmth and comfort them. Children are independent learners. For example, in the baby room children learn to feed themselves from an early age. They continue to develop these skills as they move on to each stage in the nursery. By the time children are ready to start school, they have the skills they need. For example, children help to set the table for lunch and serve themselves their meals. They make choices about what they would like to eat and drink. This helps to develop children's confidence. Staff have high expectations for all children.

Children develop their curiosity and imagination. They show excitement and anticipation as they drop objects down a tube to see how fast it can go. Children enjoy using the many resources provided for them. They are enthusiastic as they go in and out of wooden structures. They listen as they make sounds with metal pans and wooden spoons. Children laugh and show interest as they blow flour from their hands to see what happens. They explore different textures and materials and talk about the way they feel.

Children easily follow familiar routines at the setting. They demonstrate good listening and attention skills. For instance, children come inside and wash their hands after playing outdoors. They sit and wait patiently at the table while snack arrives. They sit on the carpet at group time and join in with familiar songs and stories.

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

• Children's behaviour is good across the whole setting. Staff are sensitive to children's needs and they explain to children what is happening and why. For example, children are encouraged to share with each other. Staff talk to children about emotions and label children's feelings.
• The manager has recognised the impact of the pandemic on some children's social and emotional development. As a result, she supports staff to help children develop their social interaction. For instance, children are encouraged to participate in group activities. Staff engage with children at the child's level, as they sit on the floor with children during circle time.
• Staff talk to children consistently and often during children's play. They label the names of animals and children repeat the words back. Staff build anticipation and say, 'ready, steady go' as children push trains and cars around tracks.
• Staff ask children questions as they play alongside them. However, some staff do not always give children time to answer the questions that are being asked of them. While staff are enthusiastic and engaged with children, this does not give children time to think for themselves and limits the opportunities to further develop their own critical thinking skills.
• Staff support children to develop their physical skills. Parents describe how their children can now hop, run, jump and throw a ball since they have been attending the setting.
• Staff encourage children to take risks. They encourage children to experiment with different objects. For example, staff supervise as children use a juicer with oranges and other fruit. Children try the juice that they have made themselves and talk about what it tastes like.
• Staff develop positive relationships with families. They do this right from when children start at the setting. Staff ask parents about their children and use this to find out about what children know and can already do. In particular, this is helping to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff identify where extra support is needed and they do this in a timely manner.
• The manager monitors staff practice across the setting. She has developed processes such as practice observations where staff observe each other as they engage with children. This helps staff to develop the quality of their interactions. However, this is not being fully utilised to further develop some staffs skills, such as how they model language to children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop existing supervision sessions to support staff to help to enhance their skills of how they model language to children
• ensure staff give children time to answer the questions they are asking them to further develop children's critical thinking skills.