Castle Nurseries at Rye Hill

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at the warm, welcoming and inclusive nursery and have plenty of fun. They delight in a wealth of opportunities to explore natural materials, for example spaghetti mixed with jelly, using all of their senses. Babies are gleeful and try to blow bubbles when playing with soapy water. Staff supervise children closely to ensure that they are safe while they explore and investigate the environment. They change and add resources as children learn and develop. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress.

There are strong bonds between staff and children. Caring staff tailor settling-in arrangements to suit individual children and families. Children's emotional well-being is prioritised. Staff know children very well and use this information to provide a range of activities to prepare for the next stage of children's learning. For example, staff use signs and pictures to help children understand what to expect next in their daily routines. In the baby room, very young children help to gather together toys, while older children learn to put these in the correct places. Children are settled, happy and confident. They behave well relative to their ages and respond positively to boundaries set by staff.

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

• The manager and her deputy are dedicated to providing high-quality support for families. They continuously reflect, with their committed staff team, on ways to make improvements to children's experiences. For example, the manager plans to strengthen the teaching of mathematics even further.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents value the help of staff to promote children's learning and development at home, for instance, when toilet training. They welcome advice, such as on weaning and oral health.
• Managers prioritise the development of children's communication and language skills throughout the nursery. Staff provide a running commentary for children's play and give children time to think and answer questions. They introduce new vocabulary and phrases, such as 'X marks the spot', during activities about pirates.
• Children learn to care for themselves. They wash their hands before eating and put on their coats and shoes. They help their friends, for instance, by pouring water for them to drink. However, during some routines, such as lunchtime, older children are not fully involved in tasks they could easily take part in, and they become distracted. In addition, opportunities to extend children's social skills are sometimes missed.
• Managers and staff work closely in partnership with other professionals to identify and address any gaps in children's learning. They are proactive in seeking early help for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, so that they make good progress from their starting points.
• Children enjoy running vigorously in open spaces outdoors. They benefit from regular fresh air and exercise. Indoors, babies and young children climb on soft blocks. This supports their good physical development. However, the outdoor curriculum is less well developed than for indoors. For example, on occasion, staff do not build and extend on children's learning during activities outside.
• Children practise early literacy skills as they listen to songs and share books with adults in cosy storytelling dens. They show an interest in the printed word when they follow clues to hunt down the box of treasure. There are many opportunities for children to make marks, such as making a large 'X' to indicate where to find treasure on their maps.
• Managers work hard to support staff well-being. They listen and encourage experienced staff to share their knowledge with each other. In addition, there are formal arrangements for purposeful supervision.
• Children learn about the similarities and differences between themselves and others. One example of this is when they visited Chinatown and sampled food during Chinese New Year celebrations. Staff use meaningful words in children's home languages to help them feel a sense of belonging at the nursery.
• Managers organise visits by, for example, members of the local fire brigade and dentists. This helps children find out about people who help them. Children learn about their wider community, such as when they visit local museums.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider ways to enhance some routines, such as lunchtime, to strengthen children's social skills and independence further
• review and enrich planning for the outdoor curriculum, so that all children, particularly those who prefer to learn outside, benefit fully.