Butterfly Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff create a warm and welcoming environment. Children settle well and often seek staff out for comfort. Children are able to access their environment independently and with confidence. Environments are well thought out, both indoors and outdoors. For example, in the baby room, activities are provided at different heights. This helps promote physical development in young children who are learning to walk.

Children and staff are eager to engage with the well-planned, outdoor environment. They access this in all weathers with a positive attitude, while engaging with the natural world. Both staff and children wear puddle suits to enjoy puddle jumping in the rain and digging in the mud pit. Children also explore the nature garden, hunting for bugs and exploring the flowers they have planted. Management have ensured there are under-cover areas for children to access in all weathers. There is also a separate area for younger children to use at busier times. This enables them to safely explore the outdoor environment.

Children demonstrate good attitudes and behaviour. They are eager to share, and work well together when completing the same task. Children show resilience. For example, when working together to build a tower of bricks, they continue to rebuild again even when the tower falls over.

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

• Partnership with parents is strong. They provide positive feedback and confirm all staff communicate with them regularly. Parents make good use of a lending library of books and resources. This enables them to continue learning at home. The key-person approach is embedded well. Parents meet with them on a regular basis and work together on their child's next steps in learning.
• Management shows good reflective skills and act promptly to improve practice. Various extra interventions have been introduced. These help to support children's concentration and fine motor skills. This prepares them well for the next stage in their learning. Management supports staff well, giving plenty of opportunities for them to communicate. They ensure staff enhance their knowledge through regular additional training.
• Staff promote communication and language across all age groups. Children use sign language and visual cues with confidence. Staff model these throughout activities and have extensive training to support these well. Children enjoy listening to familiar stories and songs. Children begin to recognise their own name. This is evident as they find them with ease when they self-register.
• Staff tune in to what children already know and what they need to know next. They gather information before a child begins, allowing them to plan for their care and learning needs well. Children engage well in the activities provided. However, on occasion, staff miss some learning opportunities in order to extend children's knowledge.
• Children access their environment independently, where staff follow their interests. However, sometimes, staff do not always recognise when children need more support to engage in their environment.
• Staff are good role models and communicate feelings well with the use or resource bags. These help children to identify how they feel, and then the resources provided help them to regulate that emotion, with staff support.
• Staff have good knowledge of children who need extra support in their learning. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) undertakes relevant training. They work well with other professionals and have a clear understanding of the interventions to put in place. They work with all staff to ensure children benefit from this extra support. All children make good progress in their learning.
• Staff gather information on children, allowing them to plan for their care and learning needs well. Staff have clear expectations of children, who show good attitudes and behaviour towards each other. For example, children work together to build a large tower. They also take turns when cutting peppers up to then paint with.
• Staff working in the baby room build strong attachments to the children. They fully understand their role as key persons, providing the attention and support babies need. For example, sleep routines are catered for well, as staff ensure babies' needs are met with comforters and individual sounds or music, enabling them to feel relaxed and safe.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• make better use of staff's knowledge of children's needs to allow all children to actively engage in their environment.
• support staff to recognise the learning opportunities that may arise when participating in activities.