Brook Green Early Years

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly on arrival, inspired by the inviting environment and activities. They move confidently around the premises and, at times, make choices whether to learn indoors or outdoors. Babies cruise around furniture and climb the small, enclosed slide and excitedly mount soft-play equipment to see their reflection in the mirror. Children grow in confidence and become independent learners. For example, staff support toddlers in playing together with small-world toys and older children engage in role play, following a theme and discussing their roles. Children of all ages develop a love of books, which staff use successfully to extend children's language skills. For example, babies point and interact with lifting flaps and feel textures, as staff role model words, and older children fill in familiar words as staff pause while reading. Children enjoy their learning and show awe and wonder at new experiences. For example, babies and toddlers excitedly anticipate water flowing through a funnel. Their enthusiasm increases as staff say 'ready, steady' and children squeal 'go', shrieking with laughter. Parents no longer enter the premises since the COVID-19 pandemic. This has continued because staff found that children settle and engage in their learning more quickly.

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

• Children make good progress. The manager and staff are implementing a new planning system, enabling children to deepen their learning. Staff know the children well. They use their knowledge of children's interests and next stages of development to ensure they plan an effective environment and activities. For example, children enthusiastically join in with going on a 'bear hunt', recalling the sequence of events. However, occasionally, staff move children on too quickly, which hinders children's eagerness to use resources in their own way.
• The manager is highly reflective and encourages her team to share their opinions. She honestly and accurately evaluates her provision. The manager and deputy are strong, positive role models, and provide supervision and support for staff, to raise the quality of teaching. However, although staff complete necessary training to keep children safe, they have had fewer opportunities recently to enhance their knowledge of supporting learning even further.
• Children develop strong bonds with the staff and their behaviour is consistently good. Staff are gentle and reassuring with babies and they provide good support for children to understand and manage their feelings. They value children's contributions and treat them with respect. For example, they ask even the youngest children if they have finished their activity before clearing the table. Older children develop good British values, such as voting and accepting the majority.
• The manager expects staff to concentrate on securing children's prime areas of development, which underpins their future success. Staff implement this effectively. However, they do not use all opportunities to extend older children's problem-solving skills. For example, they turn children's coats out the right way and do not help them to use trial and error to complete a puzzle.
• Children develop good practices to keep themselves healthy. They learn from a young age to get a tissue to wipe their nose and place it in the bin afterwards. Older children manage their personal needs and wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating. Staff provide good support for children to understand the importance of oral care and practise their skills, such as cleaning the teeth of dolls. Children have healthy snacks and meals, drink plenty of water and enjoy daily exercise.
• Parents confirm that staff exchange important information with them face to face and through technology, to support care and learning at home and at nursery. The manager organises open days so that parents can go into the nursery and learn about their practice first hand. Parents comment positively on how quickly their children are developing since starting at the nursery, particularly their language skills, with children singing new songs and recalling books at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide staff with more frequent opportunities for professional development to support children's learning even further
• focus staff development on supporting older children's problem-solving skills
• give young children enough time to use resources in their own way, particularly in adult-led activities.