Brookvale Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children and parents are welcomed warmly as they enter the nursery. The manager has moved her office to position herself at the front of the nursery to be able to greet children as they arrive. This creates positive relationships with families, who express how supportive the manager and her staff are.

Independence is embedded throughout the nursery. Children learn skills to support their self-care, such as dressing themselves and the importance of handwashing. They are given the opportunity to make their own choices in their play and learning. This gives children a sense of belonging. Staff encourage children to listen to each other and develop respect for their peers' decisions.

Children are well behaved. Staff continuously model how to be kind and respectful to others. When children occasionally struggle to manage their behaviour, staff calmly intervene to support children's needs. Children demonstrate a love of learning. Throughout the nursery, children engage in a range of experiences. Babies enjoy cuddles with staff as they delve into books. Toddlers experiment with flour and water, exploring how they feel and move. Pre-school children develop their fine motor skills in the outdoor area by making marks with chalk. Children are developing a positive attitude to learning in preparation for school.

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

• The manager is reflective and ambitious. She continuously reflects on practice and the environment to achieve the best outcomes for children. The nursery team has used the early years pupil premium funding extremely well. For example, it has been proactive in supporting communication and language by creating cosy communication spaces for children to interact with their peers. These spaces encourage children to communicate with others and develop their interaction skills in a safe space.
• Staff use simple language with babies and sing songs. They pronounce words clearly in front of children so that they can hear correct pronunciations. Occasionally, some staff will ask thought-provoking questions. However, this is not consistent throughout the nursery. When staff interact with children, they do not always support children to think critically and test out new ideas.
• Mathematical knowledge is built on as children move through the nursery. From a young age, children learn mathematical concepts, such as big and small. Older children draw shapes in sand, and staff encourage them to count objects around them. This ensures a strong foundation of understanding to prepare children for future learning.
• Staff sequence learning well to build on what children already know and can do. For example, in the baby room, staff will use different questions to differentiate between the older and younger children, to develop their understanding. This results in all children engaging for longer periods of time as they are challenged by staff at the appropriate level for their age.
• Staff demonstrate some understanding of the importance of children learning about different cultures. Children experience cultural celebrations during their time at nursery. Staff obtain some keywords from children's home language. However, staff do not fully understand the importance of children being able to use their home languages. They do not consistently explain the benefits of this to parents. This does not help all children to value their home languages. Managers are aware that this is an area to develop and are already working on this.
• Children have formed secure bonds with the staff. Staff have a calm and caring approach to children. Babies will seek out cuddles from staff for reassurance. Older children express excitement when telling staff about their achievements. Staff create a warm and supportive atmosphere for children, where they feel safe and secure.
• The manager values her staff and the importance of teamwork. For example, staff have opportunities to take ownership of nursery procedures, such as the approach they take to managing children's behaviour. This develops a strong and passionate workforce.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to develop opportunities for children to hear and use their home languages in the nursery
• support staff's interactions with children to encourage them to ask thought-provoking questions to children, so they have the opportunity to develop their critical thinking.