Cherrywood Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children of all ages benefit from the welcoming and nurturing environment that the kind and professional staff provide. They develop secure bonds with staff and build close friendships with their peers. Babies babble happily to staff and toddlers cuddle into their key person as they wake up from their afternoon sleep. Older toddlers excitedly join in music and movement sessions and pre-school children build their confidence before their move to school, as they dress up in school uniforms and practise writing their name.

Children benefit from the strong partnerships that staff develop with their parents. These partnerships help staff to give children the individual care and attention they need to thrive and succeed in their future learning. Parents report how much they value the support that the staff offer to them and their children. They comment on the excellent communication, especially via the online application and say how well the staff know their children and closely monitor their development.

Children are very well behaved. Staff remind them about the nursery rules and behaviour expectations when they come together in key groups. Children gain positive attitudes and key skills to support the eventual move to school. For example, older children politely listen to each other without interrupting during conversations.

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

• Staff play very close attention to promoting children's good hygiene. For example, they encourage children to wash their hands regularly and each time they sing a song, to ensure they are washing them for the recommended amount of time. Children have their food served from the kitchen on coloured plates according to their dietary requirements, but staff still check with a colleague each time, which shows the staff's robust approach to ensuring children's needs are consistently met.
• Staff report that they feel well supported, both personally and professionally. The management team clearly place an importance on staff well-being and recognise the benefits of a happy, motivated workforce on the care of the children.
• Staff are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about children's development. They know their key children well and talk about them with great affection. They plan and provide interesting experiences that help children develop the skills they will need to move to the next stage in their learning. However, at times, the intent of an activity is lost in its delivery, which means children do not always learn what staff intend them to do.
• Children's communication skills and speech are supported well. Staff lower themselves to babies and toddlers when talking to them and are quick to respond to the sounds they use to communicate their needs. Older children sing songs, confidently share their feelings and talk about their plans for the weekend. They listen with interest to what their friends have to say, developing good conversational skills.
• Children have regular opportunities to play outside and benefit from the fresh air. Older children challenge their physical skills on two-wheeled toys and younger children watch insects through magnifying glasses with fascination. However, the organisation of the outdoor area has not been considered fully when it is divided for children's use during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, to ensure all children have equal access to physical and exploratory play.
• The staff work well together as a team. They manage children's transitions to new rooms very well, which helps children to maintain their sense of security. Parents feel very reassured and value the consistency of care.
• The system for staff supervision and performance monitoring enables leaders to support staff in their professional development. Staff benefit from regular meetings with the manager to reflect on their practice and identify training to develop their knowledge and skills. Apprentices are well supported through their training and benefit from learning alongside the staff team.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to make a clearer link between the intent and delivery of planned and spontaneous activities, to enable them to shape those activities more successfully to the learning needs of children
• review the use of the outside area during times when areas are separated for each age group, so that all children benefit from the same levels of challenge from physical and exploratory play.