Brooklands Childcare Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are well settled and safe at this welcoming and very well-resourced nursery. They arrive happy and content as they are greeted by familiar and friendly staff. Staff direct children to their nursery rooms, where they confidently go off to explore the activities and resources on offer for the day. For example, younger children babble with excitement as they roll balls down piping with their peers. Older children practise developing their small muscles as they cut and chop real vegetables. Activities such as these help to develop skills children need for later development, such as writing.

The nursery staff are attentive to children's care needs. They softly sing to younger children as they change them on the changing unit, using a curtain to provide privacy. Children also benefit from quiet rest periods. This contributes to the personal, social, and emotional development of young children. The support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is very well managed. There are many areas within the nursery rooms where children can enjoy resources and equipment, such as sensory objects and quieter spaces. Leaders and staff track and discuss children's development to successfully use any additional funding for children. As a result, children make good and steady progress from their starting points.

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

• Leaders and staff have a broad understanding of the seven areas of learning. They have implemented a curriculum that focuses on the needs and interests of the children currently attending. For example, staff talk about how they encourage younger children to learn some independence skills before moving on to the pre-school room. However, staff are not yet confident in consistently delivering and sequencing their curriculum to ensure the best possible outcomes for children.
• Communication and language development is a strength of the nursery. Staff have introduced strategies such as 'bucket time' to develop listening and attention skills. Furthermore, staff engage children in singing songs and rhymes with the use of finger puppets. These opportunities help children to become confident communicators.
• Children are supported to gain an understanding of ways to keep themselves healthy. They are offered balanced meals and snacks throughout the day along with water to keep them hydrated. Furthermore, children have opportunities to learn about their bodies during yoga and music and movement sessions. As a result, children are beginning to develop good habits around healthy eating and exercise.
• Overall, children display good engagement in the activities that are on offer and, in the main, display a positive attitude to learning. For example, children show delight as staff teach them about the life cycle of a butterfly. Children are excited as they show off the real life caterpillars they are caring for. However, on occasions children who are less confident are overlooked by staff. Consequently, not all children are consistently supported to engage in play and learning.
• Nursery leaders and staff have recognised that some children need support in managing their emotions and feelings. They have introduced stories such as 'The Worry Monster' and incorporated activities into the daily routine to give children the opportunity to name how they feel, for example happy or upset. However, staff do not always extend on this further to enable children to discuss their feelings or actions. As a result, some children struggle to share with their peers and manage their emotions effectively.
• Leaders offer an open-door policy, which enables staff to feel confident in raising any issues or concerns as they arise. The manager and deputy manager spend time in the nursery rooms to observe and support staff to develop their skills. Staff report they feel valued and very well supported by the management team.
• Parents speak exceptionally highly of the nursery and the staff. They comment how appreciative they are of the constant support that is on offer from the 'wonderful' team. Parents particularly like how the nursery share their children's development points and the 'take home bags' on offer. This supports continuity between nursery and home learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to be consistent in the delivery and sequencing of the curriculum
• strengthen systems to be consistent in engaging less confident and quieter children in play and learning
• support staff to continue to help children to recognise and discuss their emotions and learn how to share and take turns.