Canterburys Nursery and Out of School Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop loving relationships with their key person. They are greeted by friendly staff as they arrive at the nursery. Consequently, children feel safe, welcome and ready to start their day. Mornings begin with fun group sessions where children move their bodies to music, dance and sing together. This lively start helps them feel happy, energised and ready to learn.

The nursery offers a caring, homely environment where every child is made to feel special and supported. It is a place where they can explore, try new things and grow in confidence at their own pace. The activities and experiences are carefully planned to capture children's interests and spark their natural curiosity. For example, children are encouraged to bring in holiday photos to share with their friends. This helps them feel proud of their experiences and builds strong links between home and nursery life.

Children's well-being is a top priority. Each day, staff gently check in with children to see how they are feeling. Through simple routines and friendly conversations, children are encouraged to notice their emotions and talk about them. This helps them learn to understand themselves and feel more confident asking for support when they need it.

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

• Literacy is a key strength of the nursery. Children develop a love of literature through exciting storytelling and activities. Staff teach early literacy skills in imaginative and exciting ways. For example, they take children on an imaginative journey of exploration during their magic carpet ride. This excites children and encourages them to become creative thinkers.
• Leaders have systems in place for the supervision and support of staff. Staff report high levels of well-being and are aware of the open-door policy within the nursery. However, staff are not consistently clear on targets that contribute to their ongoing professional development. This does not consistently provide staff with ways to improve their already good level of teaching.
• Children are encouraged to become independent in the nursery. Staff encourage children to identify their own names and play an active part in remembering their nursery rules. In the main, children behave well and are becoming independent learners.
• The curriculum and ethos are embedded well throughout the nursery. It is ambitious and supports children to continue building on their current knowledge. Leaders and staff have developed a curriculum that supports children to learn about new and exciting concepts. For example, children learn about the rainforest and different animals you may find there. Overall, children are developing a positive attitude to learning and display high levels of engagement.
• All staff follow good hygiene practices and support children to learn how to manage their personal care needs. For example, staff encourage children to check in with their bodies each day. They remind them to wash their hands after toilet trips and give their faces a wipe to ensure they are clean. This supports children to develop their health and self-care skills.
• The nursery works well in partnership with parents. Regular updates are shared, and staff also send home learning activities every two weeks that link to what the children have been learning at nursery. As a result, parents are kept informed of how they can help their children at home.
• Children practise their physical development skills in the garden. They have opportunities to climb, swing and run. Staff teach children to manage risks appropriately, and this builds children's confidence.
• Children in the pre-school room love spending time outside exploring writing activities. They use wooden letter blocks to help them learn how to form letters by copying them, which makes learning to write fun and practical. For example, children proudly write special cards for their family members, showing how they are beginning to use their writing skills in meaningful ways. Children play with rhyming words, which helps them become more aware of sounds in language.
• The support in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is excellent. Staff know how to support their key children, and they do this well. This helps to ensure that children with SEND have their needs met and receive the specialist help and care they require to fully thrive.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• further develop staff supervision to ensure practitioners receive focused and highly effective professional development.