Bumpers Nursery by Baloo's

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff happily greet children as they arrive for their day at nursery. They give parents time to share information about their children to ensure that staff can best meet their children's needs throughout the day. Parents leave confidently knowing their children are well supported. Children settle quickly and engage with favoured activities. They confidently seek interactions with staff and invite them into their play.

The provider and staff create and deliver a broad, ambitious and inclusive curriculum. There is a focus on developing children's independent skills to ensure that they are ready for the next stage of learning and their transition to school. Younger children learn to find their own name tags and hang up their belongings as they arrive. Older children put on their own coats and shoes ready for their walk to the park. Staff are always close by to provide support and positive praise for children, which empowers them to have a go.

Children have daily opportunities to explore their local community and learn about the world around them. Staff take children to local parks to allow them to climb and run to develop their big physical movements. They visit the local elderly care home where children benefit from intergenerational learning. Additionally, they access the local library, buy food in the local shops and learn to respect their community when they litter pick.

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

• The provider is highly ambitious and reflective in their practice, always striving to deliver the best quality nursery for all that attend. Recently, the whole team have attended training to improve communication techniques within the nursery. Staff are beginning to use visual timetables to support children's understanding. All staff have access to online training where they can further develop their skills. Staff report they love working at the nursery and speak highly of the supportive and approachable provider.
• Staff know all children very well. They quickly identify any gaps in learning and work closely with parents and external professionals to get children the help they need. Staff use their knowledge of the children to adapt the curriculum to enable all to join in. For example, when children play a high energy game, staff identify those that are less confident. They get down to children's level, talk to them about what is happening and offer them choices of how they might like to join in. Alongside staff, children develop their confidence and social interactions as they run and giggle with excitement as they engage in a game alongside their friends.
• The provider and staff have excellent partnerships with parents. From the beginning, staff collect meaningful information about children's care routines and individual needs to make the transition into the nursery as smooth as possible. Parents share that the provider goes 'above and beyond' to ensure that their children are well supported. They are grateful for the collaborative approach between nursery and home life that supports essential milestones, such as toilet training.
• Staff have a strong focus of developing children's communication skills and their love for literacy. Younger children snuggle with staff in the book corner and listen intently as staff read them stories with enthusiasm. Children love pointing to the pictures and interacting with the story. Staff and older children discuss their home experiences. Children share stories about their birthday party and the foods they eat. Staff extend this even further when they ask children about their favourite foods and discuss what toppings they like on pizza. Children are confident to share their views and engage in conversation with others.
• Staff begin to support children to help with routine activities and understand why these are important. However, this is not consistent. At times, staff do not use effective strategies to make children aware what is happening next or encourage them to be involved with transition periods, for example, tidying away to prepare for the next activity. As a result, children struggle to engage with resources purposefully as they are scattered across the floor. Furthermore, when children get ready for snack time, staff do not help them to understand what is happening and children wait for long periods for their fruit. Staff do not ensure that children get consistent learning opportunities from routine activities.
• Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. When on a walk to the local park, children hold hands with a friend and walk in a line in which staff closely support. When members of the community move aside to let children past, they say 'thank you'. If children have a disagreement, staff support them to think about others' feelings and how they can help their friends be happy. Children are quick to support their friends and treat them with respect. Children's behaviour is exemplary.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• use strategies to support children to understand what is expected of them during daily routine activities to ensure that they can learn from all experiences.