Chestnut @ Ray Lodge

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Friendly staff greet children when they arrive at the nursery. Consequently, children settle easily. Staff have a good understanding of all children's needs. This helps them to support children securely. Children gain a good awareness of expected behaviours, such as using good manners and being kind. Overall, staff promote this well. Staff praise children's positive interactions with each other. They encourage children to play cooperatively. Children help their friends to choose dressing-up clothes and ask them to play. This successfully develops their personal and social skills.

Staff provide children with an array of activities that cover all areas of learning. Children use mathematical language freely in their play as they spot numerals within the environment. They use language related to size and capacity as they talk to staff. Children of all ages enjoy sensory activities, such as paint, water and sand play. Children use a range of equipment and tools to fill, empty and scoop the materials. Older children enthusiastically give meanings to marks they make. For example, they tell visitors their drawings are 'trains and the Bakerloo line'. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress in their learning.

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

• Staff know the broad aims for children's learning, and there is a particular focus on children's personal, social and emotional development. However, some staff are unclear on the specific learning intentions for activities and how these support children's development. This means that some staff do not focus their teaching precisely enough to help children build on what they know and can do.
• The nursery is full of chatter. Staff encourage children to start conversations, for instance, by showing that they are genuinely interested in what each child wants to say. They choose their questions carefully, and children are keen to answer in response. This supports children's emerging language and thinking skills.
• Children are developing an understanding of healthy lifestyles. They discuss the importance of eating healthy food as they engage in pretend play. The well-resourced outdoor play area provides children of all ages with opportunities to enjoy regular exercise. Children enjoy riding bicycles, climbing and playing games with friends.
• Children with SEND receive the specialist help and support they require swiftly. This is because staff regularly assess children's development to identify any areas of concern. Staff then make referrals to other professionals and work in partnership with parents to help develop effective care plans.
• Staff are respectful of children. For example, they ask to change children's nappies. They recognise when children need reassurance and provide a calm, caring approach. Staff support children's behaviour with positive praise and encouragement, which promotes their confidence well. At times, some staff do not provide sufficient guidance or explanations to children. This does not fully support some children's understanding of expectations.
• Leaders and managers are passionate and hard working. They identify areas of development and are working on these. Staff say they feel well supported through induction processes and training opportunities. The manager holds supervision meetings with staff, but these are not yet effective at identifying what aspects of staff's knowledge relating to the curriculum needs to improve. This means that some staff are not sure of how they can improve their developing skills.
• Children are developing independence. Staff show children how to complete simple tasks, and this helps children to master new skills. For example, babies use cutlery correctly to feed themselves. Older children are guided to scoop yoghurt from a central bowl into their own bowl. Children develop good hand-eye coordination as a result.
• Parents are very positive about the care their children receive at the nursery. They appreciate the things that staff do for their children to help them in their learning and development. Staff share information about children's development and promote home learning. For example, they send home resources that parents can use. This allows children's learning to be extended at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to fully understand the intent behind the curriculum to identify more precisely, and plan for, individual children's learning needs
• build on staff's awareness of providing consistent guidance and help children to further support their understanding of expectations for their behaviour
• enhance supervision sessions and the support given to staff so that they receive consistent coaching to develop and improve their skills for the benefit of children.