Cherry Tree Nurseries Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and eagerly enter the stimulating environment. Relationships between staff and children are strong. Staff listen intently as children tell them what they have been doing outside of nursery with their parents and carers. They encourage children to continually develop their language and communication skills by asking questions to encourage their thought processes. Children settle quickly, accessing the wide variety of activities available to them. They are keen to check how the nursery hamsters are, gently stroking them and checking with staff that they have lots of food to eat.

Children relish being physically active. Babies have lots of space to crawl around and enjoy pulling themselves up to standing on low level furniture. Toddlers enjoy digging in the sand and filling different containers. Older children spend time outdoors looking for worms and small insects. They add soap to a large puddle and use brushes to wash the path with all the bubbles that form. Ball skills are encouraged, and children enjoy time with staff and a football coach, finely tuning their skills.

Children learn to be kind and caring to each other. Staff are positive role models and encourage children to take turns with the toys and share with their friends. Time spent getting to know children as they start nursery supports their emotional development and well-being. Staff recognise and praise children's efforts and achievements. As a result, children are confident and self-assured.

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

• Managers and staff are committed to providing the best care for children and their families. They strive to build good partnerships with parents and carers and continually involve them in their child's time in nursery. Self-evaluation plays a key role in helping to identify areas of strength within the nursery and areas they wish to improve, such as installing a soft surface outdoors for the baby room.
• Staff plan an interesting and stimulating curriculum that continually builds on what children already know and can do. They use information gathered from parents, alongside their own observations of the children, to plan for their individual learning needs. Parents also play a key role in supporting their child's learning at home and staff provide ideas and suggestions of ways that they can do this.
• Managers and staff use their knowledge and experience of working with children to provide exciting, interesting activities. Managers recognise staff's skills and abilities. Effective monitoring of staff's practice and regular supervisions help to identify training opportunities. Staff's well-being is a priority and staff say that they feel they receive lots of support.
• Staff encourage children's language and communication well. They ask questions to encourage children to recall what they know. Children recognise when they have made a new colour by mixing two different coloured paints together, such as blue and orange to make 'muddy' brown. They enjoy making different prints and patterns on paper and count how many wheels different types of transport have. However, staff do not always seize opportunities to extend children's understanding of mathematical concepts.
• Parents and carers are very happy with the care provided. They feel that staff take time to get to know them and their children well and include them in all aspects of their child's time in nursery.
• Children's health and well-being is well supported during their time in nursery. They enjoy freshly prepared, nutritious meals. Children follow good hygiene routines throughout the day. They learn the importance of taking care of their teeth and the need to clean them each day. Regular nappy changing helps children to remain comfortable. Staff work with parents to support their children as they learn to use the toilet independently.
• Staff celebrate children's uniqueness. They gather information from parents about celebrations and events that take place at home. Staff gather words in children's home language and use these within the nursery to help children settle and feel a sense of belonging. Resources reflect positive images of children and families. Activities encourage children to talk about their own experiences and to share information about their families with their friends. This helps to build children's awareness of similarities and differences and about the world around them.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider ways to further support children's understanding of mathematical concepts through planned and spontaneous situations.