Butterflys (Hammerton)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time in the nursery. Transitions are planned carefully. This helps children settle quickly and form secure bonds with key staff. The nursery is a well-organised and calm learning environment where, overall, children follow their interests and make choices about how they learn. Children have high levels of self-esteem and confidence because staff praise them and give them encouragement. They are supported to try again when things do not work as they expect the first time. For instance, young children make paper chains for Christmas decorations. They persevere with the task and soon grasp how to make them.

Children develop their social skills through cooperative play and everyday routines. They sit together at mealtimes and engage in conversations with staff. Children are beginning to share resources and take turns, such as throwing a ball to each other. Staff understand children's stage of development and manage their behaviour in an age-appropriate way. This means children start to understand and manage their emotions. As a result, they behave well.

Children develop independence ready for the next stage in their learning. They are familiar with consistent routines and help with daily tasks, such as tidying away their toys. This gives children a sense of responsibility. Older children are encouraged to think about the clothes they need to play outside in the cold weather. They put on their coat and shoes and try to fasten them. Children use age-appropriate cutlery at mealtimes and are learning to drink from a cup without a lid successfully.

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

• Staffing arrangements meet the needs of all children and ensure their safety. There are clear procedures in place for sharing information with parents, for example, if their child has an accident at nursery.
• Staff complete accurate assessments of children's progress and find out what parents are working on with their children at home. The provider has a clear intent for the curriculum and high expectations of what children can achieve before they move on to the next stage in their learning. In the main, the curriculum is implemented effectively and all children make good progress from their starting points. At times, staff are not perceptive to children's emerging lines of enquiry during their play. This means they do not always explore children's knowledge and ideas fully to embed and extend their learning.
• The learning environment reflects children's interests and is well resourced. Young children enjoy exploring musical instruments from around the world. Staff show them how tapping metal bowls with different objects changes the sound. Children listen to the rhythms in music and tap along to familiar songs. Staff show them how to make loud and quiet sounds. Children demonstrate good communication and language skills during their play. They are confident to initiate discussions, such as talking about their family.
• Staff promote children's early literacy skills. Children make marks and patterns using a range of materials, such as large chalks. They enjoy listening to favourite stories. Staff pause to give children time to think about the story and make connections to their home lives. Children begin to recognise sounds and patterns in spoken language. Staff model single words and show children how to build sentences.
• The provider has suitable arrangements in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They work in partnership with parents and other professionals to narrow the gaps for these children. The provider uses a range of strategies to support children who struggle to communicate through verbal language. For instance, they use sign language and visual timetables to help children understand daily routines.
• Staff promote children's understanding of why good hygiene is important. Children enjoy home-cooked, healthy, balanced meals. They develop their physical skills and learn to manage risks during outdoor play. Young children climb steps and use a slide safely. Staff introduce mathematical concepts, such as early counting and positional language during a game of hide and seek. However, the provider does not engage all children well outside. At times, their play lacks purpose and they wander with little interest in learning.
• The provider promotes positive partnerships with parents. Parents know what their children are learning, which means they can continue learning at home. Parents say they have good relationships with staff because staff are interested in their children. Staff are friendly and make children feel welcome.
• Staff work well as a team. The provider promotes their well-being effectively and staff feel supported. The provider evaluates their practice and gives them constructive feedback to help them improve their practice. Staff have access to training which means they keep their knowledge and understanding up to date.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to be more perceptive to children's emerging lines of enquiry during activities in order to explore children's knowledge in more detail and give them time to share their ideas
• consider how children's interests and next steps in learning can be supported more effectively in the outdoor environment so that they engage in purposeful play that fully contributes to their good progress.