Canterbury Centre Childcare

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy attending the nursery and feel safe and secure. The leadership team and staff know the children well and have a clear understanding of their starting points and individual needs. This information is used to plan a well-balanced curriculum which enables children to make good progress in their learning. Children enjoy the nursery indoor and outdoor free-flow approach which enables them to explore and supports their physical development. Children's communication and language skills are developed by staff as they introduce new vocabulary during everyday activities. As children enjoy a healthy snack, adults have in-depth conversations about the food that they are eating and where it comes from. This builds on children's existing knowledge and helps children to express their own ideas and thoughts.

Children are confident and they have secure attachments with key persons and other members of staff. They seek out adults for comfort and reassurance when needed. Children behave well as staff are good role models. Good manners are encouraged, praised and acknowledged by staff.

Staff work closely together to support the overall needs of individual children. The nursery routine flows smoothly, allowing transitioning from one activity to the next. Children know the routine and know what to expect next. Independence is promoted throughout the nursery with encouragement of putting on and taking off coats, washing of hands and using the toilet. This supports children to develop skills in preparation for their move on to school.

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

• The leadership team has a clear vision for the nursery. The manager demonstrates a reflective approach and is able to identify clear intentions for the future. The leadership team has considered the impact of COVID-19 on both children and staff. This is reflected in how they have implemented the curriculum, focusing on the children's personal, social, and emotional development while building strong parent partnerships. Staff have attended training around mental health and their working hours were reduced to support their well-being.
• The nursery is based in the heart of a multicultural community with a high number of children who are learning English as an additional language. Key persons work closely with parents to establish keywords in home languages to help them meet children's needs. Children's language is supported effectively through use of visual prompts and open-ended questions. This allows children to build on their vocabulary and express their ideas.
• Staff are attentive to the needs of the children and younger children build secure relationships with their key person. Overall, the curriculum is well planned to support the needs of the children. However, some activities such as large-group story time and adult-led activities do not always meet the needs of all of the children. This means that some children's learning is not maximised as the activities lack purpose.
• Staff support children's early mathematical skills successfully through stories and songs. The environment is organised to encourage children to recognise numbers and older children can count confidently to 10.
• Pictures of children and their families are displayed to help support children's transitions from parents into the nursery on arrival. Staff effectively use the pictures throughout the session to reassure children when needed to support them emotionally. This also helps to raise children's self-esteem and sense of belonging.
• Overall, children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported appropriately. Staff work closely with parents to provide consistent care. Together, they put targeted plans in place to help children with SEND to progress in their development. However, on occasions, there is a delay in liaising with other professionals to ensure children receive the right support at the earliest opportunity.
• Parents are very happy with the care provided to their children and say that their children enjoy attending. Parents comment that they like the friendly and caring staff team and say that their children come home singing new songs they have learned at the nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop relationships with other professionals to ensure children with SEND receive appropriate support at the earliest opportunity
• review the deployment of staff during large-group and adult-led activities to ensure all children are appropriately supported to develop their learning even further.