Castle Hill Village Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enter happily and enjoy seeking their friends to socialise. They benefit from a wide variety of resources and activities which appeal to their age and stage of development. For example, children curiously approach an opportunity to build a house for the three little pigs. They add paint to shaving foam and use the 'cement' to bond the bricks. Children refer to the book as they play, naming characters and ordering the events of the story. Staff consider a curriculum that appeals to children's interests. Planning ensures that children remain engaged in the things they love as they learn.

Children behave well. They know that they can seek their key person for a cuddle or reassurance. This means that children feel safe and settled and can thrive alongside their peers. Children are encouraged to use manners and are reminded that their actions may have consequences that may harm themselves or others. For example, they understand simple rules, such as to walk in small spaces and to take care of toys so that they do not break. Staff communicate effectively to ensure that all children's needs are met. For instance, they display photos of babies and an outline of their different needs and preferences associated with their eating and sleeping routines. This helps all staff working in the room to ensure that children are comfortable and ready to learn.

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

• Leaders and staff have made a significant effort and show a genuine commitment to improving their standards since the last inspection. There has been a focused programme to drive improvement. This includes securing robust policies and procedures concerned with safeguarding, and the organisation of provision that best considers the needs of all children. This has had a genuine impact on the quality of care and education, which has significantly improved.
• Children have good opportunities to learn new vocabulary. For example, they revisit their building activity to explain the reasons for their choices. Children describe needing to protect the house from the Big Bad Wolf by making their building 'solid' and 'strong'. During interactions throughout the day, staff take every opportunity to model the correct pronunciation of words.
• The staff encourage children's independence. Children enjoy a wide range of fruit and vegetables at snack time, which they serve themselves. The oldest children walk to the main school to eat. They are gaining skills needed in readiness for their transition to school. However, at times, children wait for long periods of time. This means that some children become unsettled, start to lose interest and become disengaged from potential learning experiences.
• Parents are happy with the communication received about their child's care. They comment that staff take extra effort to learn about their children as individuals. Families are asked to provide photos of key people and experiences shared. This gives children the opportunity to talk about those who are special in their lives and compare the similarities and differences that make them unique.
• Children communicate well, and staff have provided additional strategies to ensure that children who need additional support can express their wants and needs. For example, children who speak English as an additional language are given visual prompts. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) use simple signing. However, at times, staff are not consistent with their approach, meaning that children may become confused about what is being communicated to them.
• Staff have established strong partnerships with outside agencies, which helps to prepare children for what comes next. Leaders work closely with local schools to share information to ensure children's needs are met from the outset. There are good processes in place to support children when settling in and moving rooms within the nursery.
• Leaders have a clear vision and show great passion to give children the best start in their learning. The leadership team works closely with teaching staff from the school. Planning is reflective and strives for improvement. Leaders recognise the importance of continual staff development and have provided regular training to enhance staff's skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and develop the organisation of daily routines, such as lunchtimes, to reduce waiting times and keep children engaged in learning
• provide more consistent support and guidance for staff to promote communication for children with SEND and children who speak English as an additional language.