Cherry Tree Kids Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and confident in this welcoming environment, and they greet their friends with enthusiasm as they arrive. They enjoy and understand the familiar routines offered, helping them to feel safe and reassured. Children have a positive attitude to their learning. They make choices about what they want to do. Children take part in activities that help build on their knowledge and skills over time. Staff have high expectations for all children. They are committed to providing good-quality inclusive care and education for all children and their families.

Children generally display good behaviour and enjoy the company of others. Staff are good role models and gently explain to children how they expect them to behave. Children learn to share resources, take turns and play cooperatively. This helps them to be prepared with the social skills required for their next stage of learning. Children gain an excellent understanding of healthy lifestyles. For example, they identify which foods are healthy and have a firm understanding of the different food groups. In addition to this, children are able to name the different vitamins each food contains and how these vitamins benefit their good health.

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

• Staff are skilled at spontaneously following children's interests and have a clear intent for what they want children to learn. Children enjoy exploring with magnets to identify objects made of metal around the nursery. Staff interact with the children very well, providing highly effective challenges and encouraging children to use their thinking skills.
• Children benefit from the strong focus that staff place on their communication and language skills. Staff narrate as children play and clearly emphasise key words within their interactions. This helps children's understanding and speaking skills. Staff introduce new and rich vocabulary each week, and children use these words within their interactions. For instance, children use words such as 'symmetrical' and 'transparent'. Staff spend time reading books and children enjoy singing songs and nursery rhymes. This helps children to make good progress in their communication and listening skills.
• Staff understand the importance of promoting children's physical development. They provide exciting opportunities outdoors for children to practise their hand- to-eye coordination, strength and balance. Children follow good health and hygiene routines. They engage in activities that promote children's independence skills and understanding of safety. For example, children learn to use safety knives appropriately to cut vegetables in a play tray and help to prepare their own snack.
• The support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities is a strength of the nursery. Staff swiftly identify children who need additional support and work effectively with other professionals. They have very good knowledge of strategies to support children. These strategies are extremely well thought out and tailored to children's needs and preferences. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that these strategies are consistently used to support children's progress.
• Parents are complimentary about the nursery. They are extremely pleased with the progress that their children are making and say that staff have high expectations. Parents appreciate the advice and support given to them by the nursery manager. They say that they are kept well informed about their children's progress.
• Regular self-evaluation and effective teamwork contribute to a well-organised provision. There are good opportunities for staff's professional development. For example, staff access a range of training topics and support from the manager. However, this support and the training content are not consistently focused on making improvements in the teaching of the curriculum to the very highest level.
• Staff provide children with opportunities to explore literacy and make marks. Children enjoy looking at a range of different literature, such as books and catalogues. However, staff do not promote opportunities for children to practise their early writing skills as well. Children do not access writing activities as easily as other activities, particularly in the outdoor area.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• increase the focus of support and professional development for staff to help raise the quality of education even higher
• review opportunities for children to practise and develop their early writing skills.