Busy Lizzies At Simon Balle

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy in this nursery and thrive due to the outstanding experiences and opportunities made available to them. Children separate from parents with ease and are excited to see what is available each day. Those children who require support with separation have access to the 'Wow' room. This is a quieter room with a calm, homely feel, where children can take time to relax and prepare for the day ahead of them. Once in the room, nursery children become immediately immersed in the activities, which are planned to support children's interests. Weekly newsletters for parents inform them about what the children will be doing each week, allowing them to discuss this with their children before they come in. This ignites children's interest before they even arrive.

Children are kind to each other. They seek each other out to play with and to engage in experiences with. Behaviour is outstanding and children know and follow the rules. Staff have high expectations for behaviour, and this is seen throughout the whole environment. Children know to stay safe while out on the big playground. They take educated risks as they climb the larger school play equipment, knowing a staff member is close by to support them if necessary.

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

• Staff have outstanding knowledge of the children and have very effective relationships with them. They know how to support children to get the very best out of them and progress their learning and development even further. Staff build excellent partnerships with parents to help them look at the wider picture for children. This enables them to provide support for the whole family when needed. Children who are working above expected levels are supported to extend their learning even further. For example, some children access early reading books as they learn to blend letters as part of their phonics progress.
• All children make rapid progress in their communication and language development. Staff go over and above to support children from the moment they enter the nursery. Younger and less-able children have access to high-quality communication and language teaching. Staff talk to children all the time, allowing them time to answer and develop the art of conversation. Children are encouraged to develop their listening skills. This is an integral part of communication development. The manager uses additional funding, as well as the nursery's own income, to access a speech and language therapist. Staff use their expertise to develop their own knowledge in order to support children's language development.
• The relationship with the school is outstanding. The wealth of time spent together to ensure both settings work together is evident. The ethos of the nursery is reflective of the school, and this begins to bridge the gap between the two places. Children's transitions are seamless and the Reception teachers and the nursery staff share information well. The headteacher praises the nursery manager and her team.
• The nursery environment is structured effectively to meet the needs of each cohort of children. It is adapted accordingly and this enables all children to thrive. The outside space is reflective of the inside and caters for those children who prefer to be outside.
• Partnerships with parents are a real strength of the nursery. Parents enthusiastically share their views. They comment on the clear communication systems in place to ensure they are part of their children's learning journey. Parents find all of the staff approachable and appreciate the hard work the team puts in to create an outstanding setting.
• The manager is highly ambitious for the nursery. This is shown in the understanding of her nursery curriculum intent. She is passionate about creating amazing opportunities for children. There is superb support available for the whole staff team. Staff are happy to be here and their passion shines through their interactions with children.