Building Blocks

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are active and motivated learners. They have access to a wide variety of toys and resources that reflect the rich diversity of the nursery. For example, through multi-cultural toys and books, children develop an awareness of similarities and differences between people. Children have plenty of opportunities for fresh air and exercise. A range of suitable equipment, such as ride-on tricycles and balancing crates, gives children opportunities to test and improve their physical skills.

Children respond well to staff's appropriate expectations of what they can do and achieve. For instance, the older children complete manageable tasks for themselves, including their personal needs. Children gain good independence skills from a young age. Children's behaviour is good. They are starting to play cooperatively with or alongside their peers. For example, during an activity, babies had lots of fun exploring shredded paper together.

Children show that they feel safe and secure at the nursery. They move around the indoor and outdoor areas freely and happily. Children develop close attachments with staff, who are kind, caring and approachable. Staff give children lots of praise and encouragement that support children's emotional well-being effectively.

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

• Staff report that they receive good levels of support and coaching from the management team. Since the last inspection, some staff have had the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of how to quickly identify and refer children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children receive targeted support that enables them to catch up with their learning.
• The management team is highly committed to providing children and their families with a high-quality service. Through the self-evaluation process, the team acknowledges that, at times, not all staff know when to support children's play. This does not fully extend children's learning.
• Staff observe and assess children's learning regularly. They implement a broad and ambitious curriculum to help children to make good progress. For example, staff provide a well-thought-out curriculum that focuses on developing children's language skills. They offer children small-group times and story and singing sessions to extend their vocabulary.
• There are close partnerships with parents. Parents speak highly of staff and feel well supported, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff communicate with parents in various ways to engage them in their children's learning and development. The strong partnerships between parents and staff have a positive impact on children's development.
• Staff ensure that children are supported well when they join the nursery. For instance, they offer a visit to the child and their family in their home environment to begin close partnership working. However, some staff, particularly those who work with older children, do not fully support children to move between activities and other aspects of the daily routine. Children's focus and engagement are not always sustained at this time.
• Staff work well with other professionals to support children in receipt of funding and those with SEND. For instance, they share information with speech and language specialists to achieve a consistent approach.
• Children enjoy home-cooked meals at nursery, with a range of nutritious and healthy foods. These include a range of fruit, such as mangoes and berries. Children have access to fresh drinking water. Children develop healthy eating habits.
• Children have good manners. They are learning to use 'please' and 'thank you' appropriately, to show their respect and kindness for others.
• Staff follow consistent hygiene procedures. For example, they encourage children to wash their hands before handling food and after toileting. Toys and resources undergo frequent and thorough cleaning every day. Staff prevent the spread of infection and protect children's good health.
• Staff are successful in incorporating numbers and simple mathematical concepts, such as addition and subtraction, into everyday play-based activities. Children count spontaneously and during activities with increasing confidence.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop a consistent approach to supporting children's play across the staff team
• support staff to plan more effectively for children's transitions between activities and the daily routines, to enable children to remain focused and engaged.