Carlton Hill Community Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are greeted warmly at the door by friendly and familiar staff. Most children separate confidently from their parents. Those who need more support get plenty of reassurance and cuddles. This helps them to feel safe and quickly settle. Children feel secure in the nursery and confidently make choices about what they want to play with. Children listen to staff and happily follow the nursery routines. They are independent and willingly help with tasks, such as tidying away the toys or scraping their plates after lunch.

Children respond positively to the staff's high expectations. They demonstrate a wholehearted enjoyment in learning and become immersed in their play. For instance, toddlers extend their understanding of speed and direction while they experiment by rolling cars down a ramp. They are excited to discover they can slow or stop the cars by placing blocks in their paths.

Children benefit from plenty of fresh air and physical exercise each day in the garden. Babies move with increasing confidence. They practise walking and learn to climb the steps on a slide. Older children begin to manage risks. They climb trees in the 'jungle' area. Children observe wildlife and grow plants, which helps to kindle a keen interest in nature.

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

• Managers use constant self-evaluation to identify where they can further strengthen practice. For example, parents have had restricted access to the nursery due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, managers have worked hard to maintain strong lines of communication. They add more information and photos to the weekly newsletters so parents can see what children do at nursery.
• The whole team has established positive relationships with parents. This is a real strength of the nursery. Parents speak highly of the staff and feel very included in their children's learning.
• Managers plan an ambitious curriculum for children. There is a strong focus on environmental issues, such as recycling and sustainability. Children learn to reuse items and be less wasteful. For example, they create paintings from used coffee grounds and models from food packaging. Children add leftover fruit and vegetables to their wormery. They say that the worms will eat these and make soil for their garden.
• Overall, children benefit from engaging interactions with staff. The staff provide lots of good opportunities for children to practise speaking and listening. They promote singing, stories and conversations throughout the day. However, sometimes, staff do not check children's understanding or give them time to think and respond before moving on.
• Key persons support children well. They understand their key children's personal and developmental needs. Staff accurately assess what children can do and provide them with stimulating learning experiences. For instance, staff know that babies benefit when they explore using their senses. Therefore, they provide resources with interesting colours, textures and smells, such as fresh vegetables and herbs in the pretend kitchen.
• Children of all ages display positive attitudes to learning. Older children become completely engrossed in story and drama sessions. They listen intently to a story about a broomstick. Children enthusiastically recall the key events and characters. They use their imaginations as they pretend to move like a witch, a frog and a cat.
• Managers and staff promote good health throughout the nursery, providing healthy meals and lots of active play. Children learn the importance of brushing their teeth every day. They enjoy a 'dinosaur tooth hunt' and learn that there are different types of teeth, such as molars for chewing. Children share their knowledge saying, 'My teeth get dirty if I don't brush them.'
• Children behave well and learn to follow 'golden rules', such as having 'kind hands'. However, staff sometimes miss spontaneous opportunities to help children reflect on their strong feelings and understand how their behaviour affects others.
• Children develop an awareness of different people and communities. For instance, they discuss Chinese New Year as they prepare lettuce wraps for their snack. Children strengthen their understanding by forming links within their local community. For example, they visit a charity shop to donate and learn how this will help other people.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance staff's interactions with children, to ensure they check children's understanding and provide them with sufficient time to think and respond
• support staff to consistently help children to reflect on their behaviour and how their actions may affect others.