Brishing Barn Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are greeted warmly at the nursery door by friendly and welcoming staff. They develop secure attachments with their key persons, who know their needs well. The youngest children settle quickly at activities such as construction bricks and sand, while the older children follow routines independently to put their belongings away before excitedly greeting their friends.

Children learn to be kind and respectful to others. This is embedded through the high expectations that staff have for their behaviour. When children are struggling to regulate their emotions, they are sensitively supported. For example, when children in the baby room are struggling to share toys, staff use words such as 'kind hands' before providing more resources to meet children's needs.

All children gain good physical skills in the large outside area. They confidently move their bodies in a variety of ways. For example, children use steps to access slides and use their feet to scoot along on three wheeled tricycles, showing delight as they succeed in what they set out to do. Staff support where needed, but allow the children to take developmentally appropriate risks to extend their learning. For example, when learning to balance their bodies to get across the tyre trail.

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

• Children access good-quality learning across the nursery. Staff plan activities that keep children interested and engaged, because learning builds on what children already know and can do. However, at times, staff do not provide the older children with opportunities to challenge themselves during adult-directed activities. This impacts on children's creativity and critical thinking skills.
• Some staff interact with the children well, using open questioning to encourage and promote their speech and language development. However, at times, new and less-experienced staff do not engage and interact with the children successfully. For example, some staff will play alongside the children rather than extending questioning or commentating on what they are doing, so they are hearing a range of language.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported very well. The knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) supports staff and parents when making referrals to outside agencies that can offer additional support. For instance, the SENCo works closely with outside agencies and specialist provisions to ensure that children can make the best possible progress.
• Children are ready for their next stage of learning, in particular their eventual transition to school. They learn how to be independent, with staff modelling this right from the youngest rooms. Children learn about their new school with their key person, looking online at things such as the uniform and what the school looks like. This helps to ensure that the emotional needs of the children are met.
• Staff build positive relationships with parents. Managers are aware of the impact that COVID-19 has had on children settling, so they offer extending settling-in periods to ensure that children feel happy and confident being left in the setting. Parents are provided with information about their children, for example what they have been learning and what parents can do at home to extend and develop children's learning further. Parents comment that the staff are friendly and approachable, which has helped ease any concerns when leaving their children.
• Meal and snack times across the provision are positive, enjoyable experiences for all children. For instance, in the baby room all the children sit at the same height in appropriate chairs for their age and stage of development. This encourages children to engage with each other. Babies are supported in feeding themselves, with staff on hand to support and encourage where needed. Staff sing to keep children entertained and engaged while waiting for their lunch.
• The manager has only been a place for a short while. However, she knows the setting well and the areas of improvement that she, along with the deputies, would like to make. Leaders understand the pressures on the staff team, particularly since COVID-19. They are mindful of the staff workload, and well-being of the staff is given priority. Staff report that they feel supported in their role.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide children with a greater level of challenge during activities to further extend on their ongoing learning, particularly in the older age ranges
• continue to strengthen and embed support for newer and less-experienced staff, to help raise the good level of practice even further when interacting with children during play.