Chestnut Taverham

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at this friendly and nurturing nursery and are warmly welcomed by caring staff. Staff take the time to chat with parents and say good morning. Children have adapted well to the changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as parents dropping off and collecting at the door and occasional room closures. Children feel safe and secure, as staff provide them with reassurance and comfort. They form strong relationships with their key person and other staff. Children approach staff for cuddles and to share what they are doing. They show confidence and independence as they explore the range of activities and resources available. Older children are confident to ask staff for help and younger children involve staff in their play. Children remember where things are kept and help to tidy away at the end of the session.

All children are supported to make good progress as staff implement a well-thought-out and sequenced curriculum. Children in the pre-school room enjoy activities based around 'The Little Red Hen' story. They use spoons, and their hands, to mix flour and water together to make bread after spending time the previous day moulding play dough into 'loaves'. Babies show good recall of song words and actions to the 'Good Morning' song. They recognise and point to tiger stripes on pictures and are enthusiastic to 'growl like tigers'. They are confident to use their fingers to squeeze black and orange paint inside clear bags to make 'tiger stripes'.

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

• Staff are clear about what they want children to learn and plan activities around what children already know and can do. For example, staff encourage young children to remember what they saw in the sky the previous day while getting ready to play outside. They ask pre-school children questions about the book they have been reading and encourage children to explain parts of the story they can remember. This helps children's knowledge and understanding to build over time.
• Staff have a strong focus on nurturing children's personal and social development. They actively encourage children to talk about how they feel. Staff use emotion cushions effectively to help children identify different emotions such as happy, sad and excited. They encourage children to follow the 'Golden Rules' and use 'kind hands'. Staff are good role models and model how to be polite and respectful to others.
• Staff ensure high-quality interactions take place between themselves and children. They take time to introduce new words and explain their meaning. For example, as children use tricycles outside, staff introduce the word 'catastrophe' when children pretend to have a crash. Staff extend this further using a pretend telephone to model how to call the emergency services. During bread making, staff encourage children to think about the 'consistency' of their mixture as they add more water.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. The manager ensures additional funding is well spent. The nursery has recently opened a 'sensory shepherd's hut' in the outdoor area, which provides a range of high-quality sensory resources to support children's individual needs.
• Leaders and managers work hard to support staff's well-being. Staff receive high levels of support and encouragement and feel valued and listened to, which has a positive impact upon their morale. The manager provides a detailed range of meetings for all staff and takes great care to make sure staff feel appreciated.
• Staff build strong relationships with parents. When children first start, staff take time to find out children's interests, strengths and prior knowledge. They use this information to help plan for children's learning. Parents report that they feel 'listened to' and benefit from 'excellent communication and support'. Flexible settling-in arrangements allow each child to settle in their own time. Parents spoke of staff 'bending over backwards' to help their child.
• Staff provide a stimulating learning environment and encourage children to explore and have a go. They ensure play materials are of high quality and are easily accessible to children. This allows children to make independent choices about their learning and play. For example, children know where stickle bricks are and use these as pretend chips when making 'lunch'. However, staff do not always consider the organisation of activities to ensure children continue to learn and make progress. For example, children were unaware of what to do with treasure and maps in the sand tray and so they replaced these with tractors.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to ensure they further extend and challenge children's learning in all the activities they provide.