Brown Bears Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and secure in the friendly environment. They thoroughly enjoy their time at the nursery. Staff support children's emotional well-being. For example, they notice when children are on their own and facilitate them to join in with others. New children settle quickly and build strong bonds with their key persons, who are responsive to their individual needs. Children enjoy exploring a wide choice of sensory experiences. For example, they squeeze sliced grapefruit, limes and oranges into the water tray and describe the colours and smells of the fruit. They enjoy the responsibility of carrying out their own experiments. For instance, they gradually add water to compost, commenting on the changing texture.

Children are confident and sociable. For instance, they welcome visitors to the setting and introduce themselves. Children behave well and play cooperatively in small groups. They follow the routines of the day and listen carefully to instructions. Children happily sing along to the various songs and rhymes the staff have introduced to support their daily transitions. For example, they enthusiastically sing as they tidy away toys in preparation for outdoor play. Children receive regular praise and encouragement for their efforts. For instance, their individual artwork adorns the walls. This helps to develop their confidence and motivation.

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

• The managers and staff team have a clear intent for children's learning to prepare them for their next stage. They focus on children developing their independence. Staff encourage children to do things for themselves, such as self-serving at snack time and dressing independently for outdoor play.
• Staff understand the importance of supporting children's communication and language skills. They chat freely with children and comment on their actions. Staff plan circle-time activities to support children's listening and attention skills. They provide opportunities for children to share their ideas and express their thoughts. However, staff do not always take account of the differences in the levels of concentration of the younger children during some adult-led group activities.
• Children develop a love of books. Staff introduce a focus story of the month. This helps to provide children with repetition and develop their comprehension. Children demonstrate their understanding of the story, as they describe the characters in the book and interpret the illustrations to visitors. Staff plan activities and experiences based on the focus story. For example, they create a market role-play area following the story 'Baby Goes to Market'.
• Children who speak English as an additional language develop their understanding quickly. Staff provide additional support well. For example, they use visual prompt cards to support children's understanding of the daily routines. This helps to provide a safe and predictable environment for children. Additionally, staff collect phrases from parents to enable them to communicate with children while they develop their new vocabulary.
• Children behave well. Staff teach children the 'golden rules' of the setting, which they display in play areas as a visual reminder. Staff reinforce rules and boundaries with gentle reminders, such as 'listening ears' and 'kind hands' throughout the day. Staff act as positive role models. They encourage children to share resources and use 'please' and 'thank you' when requesting items.
• The manager values her staff team and prioritises their well-being. For instance, she provides regular opportunities for staff to discuss their workload. As such, staff consistently state they feel valued and well supported. The manager ensures that staff complete mandatory training. However, the manager has not sought further ways to help all staff develop a deeper knowledge of teaching and learning.
• Partnerships with parents are good. Parents speak highly about the quality of care and education their children receive. They describe staff as 'instinctive' and 'supportive'. They comment on how happy their children are. Parents appreciate the support they receive from staff with ideas and strategies to try at home, such as supporting their children's growing vocabulary.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff in adjusting their teaching more swiftly during large-group activities, in response to younger children's varying levels of concentration and engagement.
• build on the already good practice and seek further ways to help all staff develop first-rate teaching skills.