Cherry Tree Nurseries

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children run down the path to the setting and eagerly wait to enter. They happily separate from their parents when greeted by their key persons. This shows they feel safe and secure. Children's behaviour is good and staff support them to follow the rules of the setting.

Staff plan a curriculum that builds on what children already know and can do. Children enthusiastically tackle challenges that build their large-muscle skills, indoors and outdoors. Babies crawl around and practise their walking skills as they cruise around fencing and low-level equipment. Toddlers climb up and down steps and gleefully come down slides as they play peekaboo with staff. Pre-school children build on these skills as staff support them to safely climb apparatus, pedal tricycles and practise their ball throwing skills. This all helps to promote children's physical and mental health and well-being.

Staff understand the importance of sharing books with children to build their vocabulary. Babies enjoy story time cuddles with their key persons. They giggle as they find animals hidden behind flaps in the book. Toddlers listen intently to familiar stories in small-group story times. Pre-school children join in with interactive whole-group story sessions and recall books that staff have shared.

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

• Leaders and managers recognise the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children's communication, language and social skills. Nurturing key-person relationships help new children settle as they have a familiar person to relate to. Staff regularly complete language assessments of all children. This helps to identify gaps in learning. Staff plan small-group and one-to-one sessions to support these areas and bridge any gaps. However, staff do not always provide time for children to listen to, process, and respond to questions staff ask them.
• Staff complete regular assessments of children's progress. They actively seek the views of parents about children's home learning. Staff use this information to plan the next steps in children's development. Daily conversations and online progress trackers ensure staff keep parents fully informed of what children are learning about in the setting.
• Staff ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. They identify areas of potential developmental delay early and plan activities to provide additional support. In partnership with parents, staff make timely referrals to seek specialist advice when required. They complete additional training and work proactively with other professionals to ensure children receive the support they need.
• Staff plan a balance of child-initiated and adult-led activities throughout the day. Song time is a popular routine time for children. Babies bounce up and down, clap their hands and point to the ceiling as they listen to songs. Toddlers happily beat a drum when they sing songs, led by animated staff. Pre-school children join in enthusiastically with familiar rhymes. However, groups of children singing at the same time in the open-plan room results in some children not being able to hear all the words clearly or participate as much as possible. This does not help to maximise children's learning.
• Parent partnerships are strong. Parents describe staff as amazing, caring and going above and beyond to help both them and their children. They state staff create a homely environment and are instrumental in their children's education. They appreciate how staff keep them informed of their children's day during daily discussions on collection and updates on an online app. Parents value being welcomed into the setting to celebrate special events. They describe how during one event, staff supported children to create floral bouquets and give a presentation saying why they love their mummies.
• Leadership and management are passionate about continually improving the provision for children. They encourage staff to reflect on the provision they offer. They work together as a team to make further improvements. This includes completing audits of the setting and taking ownership of areas of the provision. They have plans to reorganise the use of specific areas of the building to further build on toddler's independence and self-care skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide children with time to listen, think and respond, to further support their thought processes and communication and language skills
• review the organisation of adult-led group activities, to ensure children can hear what is being said and to enable them to participate fully and raise their learning to a higher level.