Burmantofts Community Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and enjoy their time in this well-planned and inviting environment. They engage in a range of activities and experiences, inside and outside, which help them to grow and develop. Children develop secure relationships with staff, who are kind, caring and friendly. Children show high levels of confidence and self-esteem. Children move freely around the setting, choosing what they would like to play with as they develop their independence. Staff have high expectations for all children.

Children behave well. They are aware of the rules and boundaries that are in place. Staff are positive role models and teach children about kindness, respect and tolerance. Children learn about different families, cultures and ways of life through discussions, books and themes. For example, children learn about each other and what makes them unique during an 'all about me' topic. They describe what makes them look similar to and different from each other as they make self-portraits. Staff teach children about different countries and how to say some words in different languages.

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

• Leaders, managers and staff strive to make the setting part of the local community and offer a range of services to help parents and families. For instance, the manager has made links with local charities and organisations to support families.
• The manager and staff know families and the children they care for very well. Staff confidently talk about children's home lives and the experiences that they have had prior to attending the nursery. Staff use this information well to help children to settle in to the nursery quickly and to provide new experiences.
• The manager and staff have worked together to plan the curriculum. They focus on supporting children's social skills and emotional well-being. Staff help children to leave the setting confident, independent, resilient and inquisitive individuals, who are ready for lifelong learning.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported incredibly well by knowledge and experienced staff. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that children get the help they need to make progress in their learning. They use additional funding successfully to offer children new experiences and support their development.
• Staff interact positively with children and support their communication and language development well overall. They get down to children's level as they chat to them, use simple language when talking with younger children and extend older children's vocabulary by introducing new words. However, on occasions, staff do not ask questions which encourage children to share their thoughts. Also, they do not consistently give children enough time to think, and respond to one question before moving on to the next.
• Children are independent and are able to successfully meet their own self-care needs. Staff embed good hygiene practices throughout the setting. Children wipe their own noses, use the bathroom and wash their hands independently. Older children help to prepare their own fruit at snack time. They chat to staff about the importance of eating a healthy and balanced diet as they do so.
• Children get plenty of fresh air and opportunities to be active. They run around in the spacious and extremely well-planned nursery garden, and learn how to manage risks safety. Children ride on bikes and scooters, climb, balance and swing on nursery apparatus. This helps children to develop their physical skills and coordination.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Leaders and managers have put strategies in place to communicate with parents and to help them to support their children's learning at home. For example, they have created reading nooks around the nursery for children and parents to enjoy books together. Staff have developed a 'lending library' where children can borrow books to read at home.
• Leaders, managers and staff work together to reflect on the nursery and the opportunities they provide for children. They make changes to the setting's layout and number of places to suit the needs of the children who attend.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff's questioning skills so that they offer children greater opportunities to share their own thoughts and respond to questions.