Canterburys 2 Nursery & Out Of School Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are greeted by welcoming staff who know them well. This helps children to settle in quickly and confidently separate from their parents. Staff are committed to inclusivity and support for all children. They recognise and celebrate children's individuality. For example, they recently held a special event to raise awareness for children with heart conditions. Children are valued and feel included. Staff are enthusiastic and nurturing. They capture children's attention with their kind attitudes towards them. They act out stories with tone and enthusiasm. Children laugh and smile as they join in with the story on their current interest of superheroes. Children enjoy their time at nursery.

The curriculum is ambitious for all children. Support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is well embedded. Staff monitor children's development closely and work on their targets during play. They know their families well and the needs of children. Additional funding is utilised and spent to meet the personal and individual needs of children. As a result, children with SEND make good progress from their starting points. Children learn about respect through the nursery's mission statement. Staff instil simple but effective boundaries for children's behaviour, for example 'kind hands' and 'good listening'. Staff role model turn-taking to children. This helps to create a positive and supportive atmosphere where children flourish.

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

• Leaders have designed a curriculum that supports children to build on the prime areas of learning and eventually be ready for school. The curriculum is well sequenced. For example, younger children are encouraged to listen to stories with excitement. Staff then build on these opportunities. By the time children reach pre-school, they are confident to use their imagination, creating their own stories. All children make good progress in their learning and development.
• Staff ensure ongoing assessments are carried out. They use screening tools and their own tracking system to identify any emerging needs. Staff work with parents and other professionals to put targeted support in place where appropriate. This helps to swiftly address any gaps in children's learning.
• The promotion of communication and language is a strength of this nursery. The nursery's communication and language programme provides focused support for the language development of all children. Staff promote a love for stories and rhymes. They read with excitement and recite key phrases from stories as they bring them to life. Children are becoming confident communicators and are developing positive early literacy skills.
• Staff plan the daily routine well. They support children as they arrive at the setting, and throughout the day, with kind and caring attitudes. However, some parts of the routine are not organised effectively to sustain children's attention. For example, during some transitions to mealtimes, and during group times, children often run around, play with toys and are waiting for long periods. This causes some disruption to their routine, and children become disengaged in their learning.
• Staff plan opportunities that introduce children to new concepts beyond their own experiences. Children learn about artists from around the world, such as Monet. They practise making lines and circles with paint, becoming their own artists. Children have opportunities to participate in activities to support their physical skills, such as physical education and dance. These opportunities support children to learn about the wider world.
• Children are encouraged to maintain healthy habits. They enjoy a healthy range of fruits during snack time. Staff teach children about 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' foods through creative activities and discussions. Children are reminded to wash their hands before eating. However, staff do not always prompt them to wash their hands after wiping their noses, and they do not always wash their own hands afterwards. This does not support children to understand all the ways germs can spread.
• Partnerships with parents are strong, and parents speak highly of the staff team. They feel the support for recognising children's individual needs is a strength. Parents comment, 'It takes a village to support a family, and they are my village.' Staff provide daily discussions and parents' evenings to discuss their children's progress. They share ideas for home learning that reflect children's interests and stages of development. This helps to maintain continuity in children's learning.
• Leaders provide coaching and mentoring to staff. They offer ongoing professional development and access to a range of training to broaden staff's skills. Leaders regularly evaluate staff's knowledge to help target training and support. This commitment helps staff provide good quality teaching to children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen transitions between routine activities to support all children's engagement and focus on their learning even further
• support staff to consistently model effective hygiene practices to teach children how to keep themselves and others healthy.