Chichester Nursery School, Children and Family Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are valued as unique and capable individuals. Staff support them to achieve their full potential by delivering an ambitious curriculum. Children's behaviour is exemplary. They learn how to manage their feelings and behaviour from an early age. For example, staff use dinosaurs to talk about feelings, explaining that the dinosaur is sad and encouraging children to think of ways to make it happy. Children consistently show high levels of respect for each other. They take turns with resources and encourage their friends to join in with their play. They are exceptionally friendly and sociable. Children are well supported by their key person, which helps them to feel safe and secure.

Children have excellent imaginations. They create story lines in their play, such as pretending there is a big bad wolf in the garden. Children run around the garden searching for the wolf and pretending to hide. Other children use the mud kitchen to make cakes for the wolf. They are deeply engaged in their play and learning. Children's independence skills are well promoted. They are encouraged to have a go at doing things by themselves, such as wiping their nose and putting on their own shoes. When they struggle, they keep on trying hard, testing different strategies until they succeed. Babies learn through their senses. They experiment with different coloured cooked pasta, squeezing it through their hands and using scoops and tongs to try and pick it up. This helps to develop children's small-muscle skills.

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

• Staff report high levels of support for their well-being. The manager ensures staff receive regular training and performance management to help them fulfil their role. She evaluates the provision well and is highly committed to making a difference to the children and families that she cares for.
• Staff implement a successful key-person system. This helps them to establish strong parent partnerships. Staff value the importance of a collaborative approach to children's learning to ensure they make the best progress. For example, they share strategies and resources that they use in the setting with parents to provide consistency. Leaders and managers hold information evenings for parents and carers on different topics, such as toileting. These events are well attended and have provided invaluable support and information to parents and carers.
• The manager has embedded a clear and ambitious curriculum. Staff observe children playing and use their good understanding of child development to enhance and extend children's learning. For instance, children use natural materials to construct a house for an insect they have found. Staff develop their play by encouraging them to use continue to build with different objects, such as larger blocks.
• Children are well supported to develop their listening and attention skills. They watch with excitement as staff show them interesting objects that are hidden in a bucket. Staff capture children's focus by using simple language and expression. This helps children to develop good communication and language skills and extend their vocabulary.
• Staff are knowledgeable and confident to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They use visual cues and sign language to give children ways to communicate. Staff know the children well and ensure that their individual needs are met.
• The curriculum is well sequenced. Staff ensure that there is progression and challenge for children. They adapt activities to keep children engaged. This leads to children being highly focused and maintaining concentration for extended periods. For example, staff start by blowing bubbles using wands before moving on to using racquets and a builders tray to create bubbles on a large scale.
• Staff interact with children during their play to support their learning. However, staff do not routinely incorporate the teaching of mathematical language and concepts into their interactions. This means that children do not develop their understanding of mathematics to the highest level.
• Babies form secure attachments with the staff. They explore their environment confidently, checking in with familiar adults when needed. Staff help children learn the importance of good hygiene. For instance, they explain that they need to wash their hands, so they do not have any germs.
• Staff continuously develop their knowledge in order to support children's behaviour to the highest level. For example, they work on a project with a local university to strengthen their understanding of self-regulation. Staff expertly teach children language relating to their feelings and emotions. This significantly helps children to manage their behaviour and understand the impact that their behaviour has on others.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the curriculum for mathematics, providing children with more opportunities to explore number, patterns and mathematical language.