Brook Green Nursery Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have a real sense of belonging and enjoy attending nursery. They are relaxed and settle quickly in this nurturing environment. The caring staff get to know children's individual needs from the outset. Staff have high expectations for children. A key-person system helps ensures that children's individual needs, routines and interests are known by staff and met effectively.

Children develop independence from an early age. They self-select resources and excitedly talk about what they like to do. Staff encourage them to wash their hands and learn skills in self-dressing from an early age. This helps prepare children for their next stage of learning, including their eventual move on to school.

Children understand what is expected of them. They behave very well, play cooperatively, share and take turns. Staff are positive role models; they are polite and help children develop respect for others. Younger and older children frequently spend time together, which supports development of their social skills and helps younger children learn from the older ones. Children have fun joining in activities that provide challenge and capture their interests. For example, they enjoy building towers and show delight as their tower gets higher. They play imaginatively as they pretend to be hairdressers.

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

• The dedicated leaders demonstrate a commitment to making ongoing improvements. Following notification of a security incident at the nursery, leaders have taken appropriate action. They have worked hard to improve security of the outdoor buildings and ongoing risk assessment, to strengthen procedures and ensure that children remain safe. Regular supervision, ongoing support and meetings help ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities and keep up to date with procedures. Staff comment that they enjoy working in the nursery and are very well supported by leaders.
• Communication and language is supported very well. Children who speak English as an additional language have frequent opportunities to hear and use their home languages as well as English. Staff use their bilingual skills to support children, particularly children who are settling in. Children are encouraged to talk about their experiences and listen well during circle time. Staff encourage children to recall what they know. For example, they talk about the days of the week and the weather and recall what they learned the previous day. Children learn signs and use visual aids to further support their communication.
• Leaders and staff share strong partnerships with parents. Daily feedback and online information help keep parents informed. A two-way exchange of information ensures a consistent approach to children's care and learning.
• Parents comment that they are very happy with the care their children receive. They say they are kept well informed of their children's progress and that their children are very happy to attend.
• Children benefit from daily fresh air and exercise. They develop their large muscles and coordination, climbing and using wheeled toys. However, the staff do not always plan and organise the outdoor area as well as possible to entice children to explore nature. For example, the mud kitchen and planting areas are not set up with tools, which limits opportunities for children to fully explore the natural world.
• All children benefit from a rich curriculum, which supports their development well. Staff carefully monitor children and plan for each child to ensure no one is left behind. All children make progress and develop skills in preparation for their next stage of learning. Staff know how to build on what children know and extend their knowledge. For example, during play, staff encourage children to name animals they recognise. Staff extend their knowledge by naming unfamiliar animals. Children are encouraged to count the animals and think about which are the largest and the smallest. This helps children develop early mathematical skills.
• Children are able to explore how to deal with feelings and their responses. For example, they listen to stories about starting school and talk about what they may do and how they may feel on the first day at school. Staff support children when they move on to school. For example, they make visits to the school and provide photo books for children, so they become familiar with what to expect. This helps prepare children and helps them to manage change and understand positive patterns of behaviour. The affectionate and friendly staff share warm interactions with children. As a result, children are happy and confident to explore and join in.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review planning to provide children with more rich experiences to be able to explore the natural world.