Child's Play Nursery School Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are enthusiastic, excited and highly motivated to learn. There is an exceptional range of activities and toys available for the children indoors and outdoors. They are extremely well supported by the highly skilled staff who have very high expectations. They ensure that children are challenged to reach their full potential. All children make rapid progress from their starting points.

Children know how to keep themselves safe. For instance, they take turns to wear high-visibility jackets and complete their own rigorous risk assessments in the garden. They are supported by staff to understand the difference between a risk and a danger. They know that leaves are a risk and a broken toy could be a danger. They report concerns back to staff who take appropriate action.

Children behave superbly and follow rules such as tidying away, sharing and taking turns. They remind each other of the rules which helps them to manage their own behaviour, swiftly resolving conflicts. Children learn to value and respect the feelings of others. They are extremely confident, self-assured and demonstrate excellent attitudes to learning.

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

• Staff use a sensitive approach; teaching children high levels of empathy. They offer valuable experiences for them to take care of pets. When their nursery pets pass away, children and staff spend time together saying their goodbyes. Children are extremely well supported by staff who teach them that it is okay to feel sad. Staff extend this even further as they encourage them to create memory books where they can sit together and reflect on the happy times they shared with their pets.
• Children have a real passion for books. They listen to the 'Gingerbread Man' and make their own biscuits. When their gingerbread people 'run away', they receive tiny letters from around the world. They use magnifying glasses to read the small print. Children and staff plot their whereabouts on a world map. Parents have been included in this activity and have gone to extreme lengths to seek letters and photos from family across the globe.
• Staff respond to children's individual needs extremely well. They instinctively know when children need a hug or rest and provide appropriate opportunities. There are close loving bonds between children and staff. Children eagerly point to a display of a bus which has photographs of them with their unique group of friends. They giggle when they recognise their key person and call them their 'bus driver'.
• Accurate assessments of children enable staff to offer rich experiences that broaden children's learning and helps them to plan for their future learning. For example, they use recycled materials to create 'rockets' that they fill with brightly coloured pasta shapes. They excitedly tell staff 'we're going into space'. Children's interests are well fostered, and they successfully introduce resources, such as books about space to enhance children's learning.
• Children eat healthy and nutritious, home-cooked food in the open-plan kitchen diner. Staff successfully use mealtimes as learning opportunities as well as a social occasion. For example, the chef interacts with children as she cooks. Children enjoy conversing with their friends. As the lunch bell rings, children wait to hear the first letter of their name. They stand up and wait patiently in line. Children know they must use their quiet voices so that others can hear their letter being called.
• Parent partnerships are exceptional. Parents speak highly of the support they receive and the excellent communication that staff provide about their children's learning and development. They praise the sound buttons that they have recorded their voices on. They know that their children can press these at any time to hear them speak if they need reassurance.
• The inspirational manager is highly reflective of the setting and knows how she can improve experiences for children. The recent extension to create a 'home-like' open-plan kitchen diner enables children to feel secure in a homely environment. The manager supports staff well-being fantastically, and staff report that it feels like 'one big family'.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to build on the already excellent two-way communication with parents.