Catherington Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and content. They settle quickly into the nursery routines and display a true sense of belonging. Children are supported to build on their understanding of playing and sharing well with others. They use impeccable manners as modelled by the caring and attentive staff team. Children are enthralled and curious learners. They immerse themselves into new learning opportunities, such as investigating a wasp nest and researching additional information, which helps them to remain excited learners. Children behave well and are able to manage their own emotions. They are building on their own self-care skills as they dress for outdoors and tackle more-complicated zips and buttons. Children delight in the social interactions and discussions they have with their peers at snack time. They are given higher levels of responsibility to build on their confidence for their future learning experiences. For example, children serve themselves snack and wash up their cups and plates when they are finished.

Children build a sense of their immediate community. For instance, they engage in discussions with the farmer as he delivers hay to the animals in the fields that surround the nursery. This helps children to build important interactive skills and learn about people who help us. Children feel valued in their own contributions as staff take time to listen intently to them as they ask questions.

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

• The leadership team has worked tirelessly towards meeting the actions and recommendations set at the last inspection. Self-evaluation is now used effectively to continuously identify areas for improvement and change. The team values the contributions and suggestions of the children, staff and parents. There have been exciting changes to the nursery environments and in how staff plan an ambitious curriculum to more fully support children's learning and development.
• Children are building important communication and language skills. They enjoy reading a variety of informative stories that build on their understanding and memory skills. For instance, children are quick to recall a story about how plastic is impacting on the oceans, sea creatures and mammals. This helps children to also build a deeper understanding of the need to protect the world they live in.
• Partnerships with parents remain a particular strength of the nursery. Parents feel a very large part of their children's successes and achievements. They are kept fully involved in planning for the next steps for children's learning, which helps children to continue to learn at home. Parents comment on the commitment of the staff team towards each and every child and how children are 'captivated' by the rich learning opportunities provided.
• Children relish the freedom of the outdoors. They have an abundance of space to run and build on their increasing awareness of how to keep themselves safe. Staff use their deepening understanding of child development to enhance and encourage children to be creative and imaginative. For instance, children take great pleasure in completing a group treasure hunt. They carefully follow the map and problem-solve together until they are successful in finding the treasure.
• Staff carefully watch children's development to quickly identify potential gaps in their learning. This ensures that additional support is given to help each child to reach their full potential. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who receive additional funding make steady progress with a targeted approach from their key person. However, leaders do not consistently share information with other professionals to further support children's care and changing requirements.
• Leaders now use an effective system for the supervision of the staff team. Staff are involved in planning for their own professional development to build on their knowledge and understanding. Recent training has helped them to build further on their awareness of how to remain highly vigilant in safeguarding children in their care.
• Staff encourage children's mathematics with lots of opportunities to count and talk about shapes as they build structures with different-sized blocks. However, staff do not fully recognise how to further support the most able children, for example by providing a wider range of resources that would help to increase their skills and help them to practise mathematical concepts in their own play.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen information-sharing with other professionals to help to provide a more consistent approach to supporting children's care and changing requirements
• build on a wider range of resources to help the most able children to practise and increase their skills and knowledge in mathematics.