CCN Montpelier Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at nursery eager to begin their play and quickly engage with well-planned activities. They separate from their parents with ease and are happy to see their friends and staff. Staff warmly greet children and provide them with lots of reassurance, encouragement and cuddles in the day. Children show a good attachment to their key person. This helps children to feel they belong in the nursery. Children feel safe and secure, ready to begin their learning. They know the routines well and are occasionally reminded of what is expected. Children respond well to this calm and gentle approach. They behave well and have a positive attitude to their learning.

The curriculum is sequenced well, building on what children know already and what interests them. Staff work with parents to ensure they get to know the children well and help children to settle in. This helps to build children's confidence. Staff observe children to understand what engages and motivates them in learning. This helps to plan next steps for children effectively. Staff are ambitious for every child and help to prepare them for school. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress.

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

• Children enjoy literacy experiences throughout the day. They listen to stories, that staff read providing tone and actions, in the tree house outside and the cosy area indoors. Children are engaged and they excitedly recall parts of the familiar stories they hear. Children hear lots of vocabulary, which builds their communication and language skills. Children, including those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress in their communication skills.
• Staff promote children's physical development in several ways. Outdoors, children use tricycles to pedal up the small slope. When playing in the mud kitchen, they fill pots that staff provide and transport them using the wheelbarrow around the garden. Children display joy as they jump in puddles and watch the ripples of water. During creative activities, they use scissors and glue, building their small finger muscles, to create spiders for Halloween.
• Children enjoy exploring nature in the garden. They investigate the foliage as they play a game with staff searching for animals from the jungle. They whoop in delight and run together as the staff say, 'Here comes the tiger.' Children enjoy searching for minibeasts. They lift logs and discover slugs, woodlice and spiders. They compare sizes of the creatures they find and use words such as 'bigger' or 'small'.
• Children learn mathematics in everyday activities. When playing with play dough, they roll and compare sizes of the shapes they create. They use a measuring tape when measuring similar sizes, so they begin to understand which is wider. Counting can be heard throughout play. This helps children to build their problem-solving skills.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery. They appreciate the daily communication where staff let them know what their child has learned. Through the weekly newsletter, they know what is planned for each week. This provides an opportunity for parents to talk to their children to share their nursery experience at home. Parents say leaders and staff are kind and caring and children love to attend the nursery.
• The leaders and staff are ambitious for every child to reach their full potential. Staff are valued and have regular supervision to discuss their key children and workload. The leader checks in with staff to ensure their well-being is monitored. Staff appreciate this. Staff attend regular training to improve their knowledge and practice. The team shares ideas so that it improves the play experiences for every child.
• Children are supported in building their independence skills. On arrival, children are learning to self-register by placing their name tag on the display. They are encouraged to put their coat and bag on their named peg. When going outside, children are familiar with the routine to change into their outdoor wellies. Children show kindness towards their friends and help to put wellies on those who are less able to do so. Occasionally, children are not encouraged consistently to tidy up after themselves before they move on to the next activity.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• make better use of all opportunities to encourage children's independence throughout their everyday routines, such as tidying up after completing an activity.