Building Blocks Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have great fun in this nurturing setting. Staff take time to get to know children well, which helps them to support their individual needs. Children are comfortable and confident as they get involved in the interesting play opportunities on offer. They know how to play cooperatively with their friends. For example, they take turns as they explore the newly arrived play house. Staff are excellent role models and their interactions with children are respectful. This helps children respond positively to staff and communicate effectively with their peers. Children demonstrate kindness and compassion for each other as they learn and play together.

Babies confidently explore the environment around them. They are keen to use their developing fine motor skills to uncover items that have been hidden by staff. Babies focus intently on peeling back tape and show delight in finding new objects. Babies are interested in transporting items. They use the pushchairs to move objects around the room. This supports babies' physical development and spatial awareness as they negotiate obstacles in the learning environment.

Older children develop excellent attention and listening skills. They engage highly and remain intently focused as adults lead activities. Children are keen to share their thoughts and participate in stimulating games. For example, when staff create interactive learning opportunities at group time, children display high levels of involvement and well-being. They eagerly participate in activities that further extend their thinking and speaking skills.

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

• Leaders have worked closely with staff members to develop a detailed and ambitious curriculum. This helps staff to sequence learning across the setting and build on what children already know and can do. Staff use the information gathered from parents to plan effectively, using children's interests and fascinations.
• Children make good progress across all seven areas of learning. Staff facilitate varied experiences that support children to develop new skills and knowledge. They observe children closely and then extend their play by adding new vocabulary or ideas. For example, at group time, staff encourage children to describe the characteristics of the giraffe with an extendable neck.
• Staff's expectations of children are extremely clear and consistent. This helps children to respond positively to adults and behave well. Children learn how to keep themselves safe as they move around the setting. For example, they tell visitors that they need to hold the handrails as they use the stairs to go out into the garden. Staff trust children and praise them when they make good choices.
• This impacts positively on children's confidence and self-awareness.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make strong progress. Leaders are excellent role models with regards to inclusion. They support staff to plan and implement highly effective intervention activities, which target children's individual needs. This develops a responsive and inclusive culture across the setting. Staff work in excellent partnership with external agencies and professionals, which helps children to get exactly the support they need to thrive.
• Staff make use of some daily routines to develop children's self-help skills, such as older children pouring their own drinks at mealtimes. However, these opportunities are somewhat limited. For example, staff do not recognise when children need further cutlery or support to use knives in order to eat their lunch successfully. This means children's independence is not fully supported in preparation for their eventual transition to school.
• Staff skilfully support children's mathematical awareness. They model simple addition and subtraction through group and individual activities. For example, when learning about the life cycle of a caterpillar, children know that two of the butterflies have hatched, and this leaves three cocoons that they continue to observe.
• Leaders support and model how to further extend the learning experiences that are provided in the outdoor learning environment. Children spend time exploring and investigating invitations to play that staff provide. They strengthen the small muscles in their hands as they operate the tap on the water container and squeeze the juice from lemons into a variety of containers. This helps children to develop the skills needed for early writing.
• Parents speak highly of the setting. They comment positively on the high level of staff retention and the approachable and friendly team. Parents are happy with the progress their children make while attending. They are delighted with the close and nurturing relationships that staff develop with children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to build children's independence and extend the opportunities for developing self-care skills even further.