Budbrooke House Childrens Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children separate confidently from their carers with support from familiar staff who greet them at the main door. Children feel safe and at ease in the care of staff. They form secure attachments with their key person and staff within their room. Children show curiosity and excitement in their play. Purposeful activities engage children with interest in their learning. Staff support children to make good progress in their development. For example, toddlers have fun pretending to make a strawberry cake outside in the garden. They use their senses when exploring minibeasts hidden among natural materials, such as grass and logs.

Children behave well. They learn to use good manners, such as saying 'please' and 'thank you' during mealtimes. Staff support children to take turns, such as when toddlers make cakes and wait for their turn to mix the ingredients. Staff praise children consistently throughout the nursery, such as for sharing, taking turns, sitting nicely and listening. This helps children to develop their understanding of the behaviour expectations well.

Staff understand areas of children's development and learning that may need extra support as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. They understand the importance of promoting children's communication and language development and social skills. Children hear language consistently. Overall, staff support children to develop and use their vocabulary well. For example, staff engage in conversation with children, sing songs and rhymes and skilfully read stories.

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

• Leaders have a strong vision for providing high-quality care and for making ongoing improvements. They carefully consider the curriculum and how it supports children's learning. The curriculum builds on what children already know and can do and supports them to develop essential skills as they progress through the nursery. Leaders support staff's well-being and ongoing professional development very effectively. Staff say they feel that they are supported extremely well by the leaders.
• Staff provide good-quality interactions to support children's learning. For instance, staff ensure that nappy changes are completed with individual care and attention for each child. This helps to support children's language development well as staff sing and talk to young children, giving them focused and uninterrupted time. On occasion, staff sometimes do not use questioning as well as possible with the older children. For example, at times, the questions staff ask children only require a one-word answer. This does not fully encourage children to think and respond using a wider range of language.
• Staff promote children's positive behaviour from a young age. This includes learning to take turns and respecting their environment. Staff regularly praise children for their efforts and engagement during daily activities. This promotes children's self-esteem and confidence securely. Children learn to be responsible. For instance, they help to tidy up with support and praise from staff.
• Children are confident learners who are engaged and motivated in their learning. For example, in the baby room, staff roll a ball through a tunnel to encourage babies to crawl towards it. This encourages children to strengthen their bodies and practise developing skills.
• Children show an understanding of good hygiene practices such as handwashing. They mostly develop a good level of independence for their age during their care routines. However, on occasion, staff sometimes do not fully encourage children's independence in their self-care. In addition, at times, staff do not consider checking with children before attending to their care needs, such as when wiping their nose.
• Staff promote children's understanding of healthy lifestyles. For example, children learn about healthy choices through cooking activities, such as when making cakes using courgettes. Staff and children talk about the courgette being a vegetable and healthy choices. Parents compliment the healthy food choices and varied menu available at the nursery. They comment that this supports their children to make healthier choices at home.
• Staff share information with parents about their child's development. They support parents to continue children's learning at home. For example, staff talk to parents about how to support children's developing language skills, such as through singing songs at care times and reading stories with children at bedtimes.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on staff's awareness of how to help children recognise their care needs and enhance their independence further
• strengthen staff's skills to support all children to develop their understanding and use of language, for example through the use of questioning.