Canopy Shrewsbury

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet children warmly as they arrive at this friendly, welcoming nursery. They build positive relationships with children and know them well. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in their surroundings and with staff. For example, they snuggle into staff as they listen to a story or if they are tired, and enthusiastically invite them to join in their play. Consequently, children are happy and settle well. Leaders and staff implement a curriculum that is based on children's individual learning needs and interests. They know where each child is in their learning and plan a range of activities that help children to build on what they already know and can do. Staff make learning fun, and children thoroughly enjoy participating in the activities on offer. For example, babies explore different textures and smells, such as oats, cereals, spaghetti and cinnamon, as they make 'Gruffalo pie'. Older children take part in music sessions and excitedly wave their scarves up high and down low in time to the music.

Children's behaviour is managed well, and staff are positive role models. Even the youngest children can sit and wait for their turn. Older children learn about emotions and can express how they feel. Children play nicely with their friends and demonstrate empathy towards them. Children are polite and use manners as staff encourage them to say please and thank you throughout the day. Staff nominate children who have been especially kind to receive a leaf and place it on the kindness tree. This raises children's self-esteem and helps them to think about others.

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

• The nursery benefits from a strong leadership team. They are clearly passionate about the nursery and dedicated to support the children to make the very best progress. Leaders have a good oversight of what they want children to learn at each stage of their development. They provide ideas to help staff to plan activities across all areas of learning. As a result, children enjoy their learning and make good progress from their individual starting points.
• Leaders successfully reflect on the overall quality of the nursery. They monitor practice and provide positive, constructive feedback and training to enhance staff's professional development. That said, there are times when some staff are not as confident as they could be to implement routines and activities when the senior room staff are not present.
• Staff's well-being is of the utmost importance to leaders, and they value their opinion. They have introduced a three-monthly check in and well-being meeting and a staff satisfaction survey. Staff comment that they feel they can approach leaders at any time and that they will give them any support they need.
• Children's safety is of paramount importance. The premises are exceptionally safe and secure. Leaders rigorously check the identity of visitors before allowing them entrance to the nursery. Robust risk assessments, and additional health and safety training for leaders and staff, ensure that they can recognise and minimise any potential risks swiftly.
• Children's communication is extremely well supported. Staff use Makaton to enhance children's emerging language. Older children learn new vocabulary as staff explain the meaning of words they hear in a story, such as 'sow' and 'swell'. All children enjoy listening to stories, and a lending library offers parents the opportunity to choose books to take home to read with their children.
• Children are generally engaged in the activities and concentrate well for the majority of the time. Some staff use intonation and expression in their voices to gain and maintain children's interest. For example, older children wait intently to see what object will come out of the 'attention bucket'. Staff skilfully weave mathematics and positional language into the activity as the balloon flies in different directions when the air is released. However, at other times, some staff are not quite as skilled at organising adult-led activities to ensure that all children are able to participate fully.
• The support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is superb and this is a real strength of the nursery. Staff are totally committed to their role in working with these children. They work tirelessly with parents and outside agencies to ensure children with SEND receive the very best support and interactions to enhance their care and learning experiences.
• Parent partnerships are strong. Information is shared regularly with parents to keep them informed about their child's day and where they are in their learning. Parents speak extremely positively about the care and learning that their children receive. They say that leaders and staff are fully aware of each child's individual needs and provide support for children and their families. They say that children love coming to nursery and that staff are amazing.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to have the confidence to continue with daily routines and activities when senior staff are not present
• help staff to organise adult-led activities more effectively, so that children are able to participate fully and get the best from their experiences.