Brooklands Childcare Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and content at this welcoming nursery. They happily separate from their parents at the door and are invited in with smiles and hugs by familiar staff. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure. Children enjoy playing with their friends and choosing from a wide range of stimulating activities, both inside and outside. Outdoors, children develop their core strength as they run and ride bicycles and scooters. Babies confidently explore multiple sensory areas in the relaxed and peaceful baby room. Babies and toddlers use their fingers to make marks in foam, paint and flour. They manipulate dough as they stretch, knead and pull it into the desired shape. This extends children's concentration and strengthens their hand and finger muscles in support of their early writing skills.

Staff are good role models and have a calming and respectful attitude towards children. In turn, children's behaviour is good. Staff have high expectations and communicate these consistently to children. Children are continuously praised for their efforts. For example, they are commended for 'good listening' and 'good sharing'. This helps children to understand what is expected of them and prepares them well for the next stage in their learning.

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

• The leadership team supports staff effectively with their well-being. Staff say that they particularly like the support they receive to help them to understand how they are feeling. Staff work well as a team and this helps to provide children with a warm and friendly environment of care and respect for others.
• Leaders have recently introduced a new curriculum. They have welcomed support from the local authority and made fundamental changes to the environment. Staff observe children to make sure they are achieving the individual targets set for them and set new targets for children regularly. However, some targets for learning are not specific enough to help children to make the best possible progress in their learning.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The special educational needs and disabilities coordinator (SENDCo) is experienced and knowledgeable. She works closely with parents, staff and other professionals to provide children with all the support they need. This helps children to make the best possible progress.
• Staff are recognising children's needs and identifying when they need further support. They use pictures and single words to help build children's understanding. However, some children who speak English as an additional language are not getting enough support to learn new words and develop the key language they need to get the most out of the curriculum. Therefore, their progress is not as good as it could be.
• Children have space to play and be physically active, both indoors and outside. Babies are supported to practise their new physical skills by staff who offer praise for their efforts and achievements. Care practices are good. Staff are loving towards children and spend time getting to know them during the settling-in period. Children form secure bonds with staff and settle well. Children's developing physical skills and well-being are well supported.
• Children learn about similarities and differences. Staff teach them about different cultural traditions and festivals during the year. For instance, children learn about Chinese New Year and Diwali. Leaders also use additional funding effectively to help narrow the gap in learning. For instance, they use additional funding to offer children the experience of meeting and handling reptiles, as well as a yearly forest school day. This has helped to increase children's understanding of the world.
• Children develop good levels of confidence. Staff support children to develop their independence skills. Older children know how to wash their hands and are confident in using the toilets. This supports children's self-esteem.
• Overall, partnerships with parents are good. Parents feel supported and are kept informed about their child's care and learning daily. However, staff have not fully considered how to encourage children to develop a love of reading at home. Furthermore, parents comment that they would relish even more ideas on how to support their children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen and monitor staff's knowledge of the newly introduced curriculum so that they understand more fully what leaders intend children to learn
• provide more targeted support for children who speak English as an additional language, to help them make even better progress
• build on and embed the home-learning strategies already in place, to involve parents in their children's learning even further.