Castle Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children receive a warm, nurturing and friendly welcome when they arrive. They respond well to staff and learn in a fun and safe place. Children have a positive attitude to learning and are eager to join in the activities planned for them. Babies develop their movement skills. For example, they shuffle on their bottoms and reach for resources, such as books to look at. Two-year-olds enjoy making large marks using paint on paper. This is an early start to writing. Pre-school children explore resources linked to autumn. For example, they feel the skin on pumpkins and see how many smalls ones will fit into a measuring jug.

The leadership team and staff are committed to working with the families and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The special educational needs coordinator observes the children and guides staff on how they can work effectively to meet the needs of the children.

Overall, children behave well. Staff give them lots of reminders to use kind hands and to walk in the rooms. However, there are times in pre-school, such as tidy up time, where children can be disruptive.

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 future of the nursery. Though there has been a high turnover of staff recently, they feel that they are starting to build a good team. They are aware of staff's strengths and aspects of their practice that can be developed further. For example, currently they are focused on helping staff to make sure that the curriculum and planning meets children's individual needs, to raise their achievements to a higher level.
• The professional development of staff is given priority. The leadership team carry out inhouse workshops with staff, to strengthen their knowledge and understanding. They observe staff in their work with children and give them guidance on what they could be doing better. They hold regular supervisions and appraisal meetings with staff, where they discuss individual children and their own development.
• The leadership team use self-evaluation to identify what works well in the nursery and what could be better. They ensure that additional funding, such as early years pupil premium, is used effectively to promote the well-being and learning of children. For example, funds have been used to expand the outdoor area for children who learn best outside. They are keen to gain the children's voice on what they would like in this area and also to seek the views of parents.
• Staff support children's early language development well. They focus on developing children's love of books and provide quiet, covered areas for them to read. Staff use singing and signing to include all children in developing their communication and language skills. During activities, they introduce descriptive words. For example, they ask children to feel different items in a bag and to talk about what they feel like.
• Staff act as good role models to the children. They listen when children talk and value what they say. Older children confidently hold conversations with staff and describe past events. Staff use effective questioning when communicating with children to extend conversations and build on children's learning.
• Staff encourage children's independence. They support children to look after their belongings and manage their own self-care needs effectively. For example, pre-school children hang their coats up and self-register when they arrive in the morning. They access the bathroom independently and manage their own personal needs. This helps them to be ready for starting school.
• Parents spoken to are very positive about the nursery and the work that staff do with their children. The manager has set up a welcoming environment at the entrance, with information displayed for parents. For example, they can borrow books to take home and share with their children. Explanations are displayed about why singing rhymes with children is beneficial for their communication and language development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider ways to fully involve pre-school children in routines, such as tidy up time, so that during these times children do not become disruptive
• strengthen staff's understanding of the curriculum and how young children learn, to raise their achievements to an even higher level.