Christchurch Kindergarten @ Cedars

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff welcome children into this well-organised and nurturing environment. They greet children on arrival, ensuring that they transition smoothly into their day. Once inside the nursery, children immediately become engaged in their learning and play. Children play cooperatively and behave well. Staff teach them about emotions, such as happiness and sadness, and provide strategies for sharing and playing together. For example, they remind children that 'sharing is caring' as they encourage them to share toys with friends.

Children benefit from planned learning opportunities outdoors. They learn to ride bicycles and tricycles, take turns on the track and enjoy racing and laughing together. Children curiously watch a worm in a soil pot. They engage in water play by splashing, and filling and emptying containers while singing number rhymes with toy ducks and boats. Conversations between staff and children are meaningful. Staff extend children's thinking skills, ask open-ended questions and repeat words back to children. Children hold conversations with each other during their play. Staff promote children's independence and knowledge of the world in which they live. For example, they encourage children to recreate colourful rainbows and plant seeds in the garden. Children progress well and gain independence in preparation for school.

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

• Leaders assess the nursery's quality and tailor the curriculum to children's needs and interests, recently prioritising children's communication skills. Staff are motivated to seek development opportunities to enhance their communication abilities. They help children to understand and use spoken language by linking images and real objects. This especially supports children who speak English as an additional language to enhance their understanding.
• Leaders monitor and frequently observe how staff plan for and deliver the curriculum. They provide staff with ongoing training and coaching to extend their knowledge of child development and teaching skills. Recent training has focused on helping staff to support children's social and emotional development further.
• Staff understand children's interests and goals, especially for those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They regularly assess children's progress and plan activities based on their interests. However, at times, they do not consider how to plan activities and learning experiences that support individual children's next steps in learning more precisely. For instance, during water play, staff teach children about mixing colours, without checking if children understand about colours. This means that staff do not consistently consider the sequence in which children learn new knowledge.
• Staff identify children with SEND promptly. They implement strategies while waiting for the outcomes of referrals. Staff regularly review the curriculum and care practices to support children with SEND. For instance, the environment is designed for children with visual impairments to access all learning areas freely.
• Staff support children's mathematical development well. For example, children enjoy finding hidden numbers in a sensory rice tray and excitedly call out the number they discover. They learn about the differences in shapes and sizes as they safely cut and share their morning fruit at snack time. Staff integrate numbers through songs and rhymes.
• Leaders and staff prioritise all children's personal and emotional development. This helps to provide a happy and safe place for children. Children's health is well supported throughout the nursery. This includes having conversations and exploring equipment relating to oral health. Staff provide nutritious and balanced meals and drinks throughout the day. Children learn about managing their own hygiene, including the importance of washing their hands.
• Staff incorporate children's interests into planned learning activities so that children are motivated to engage. For instance, children engage in activities such as moving to music, playing their favourite songs while dancing, moving and singing. This aids children's language development and enhances their hand-eye coordination through dance.
• Children who are moving on to school develop their independence by carrying out small tasks such as tidying up, learning how to share and building friendships. Staff provide children with a range of books to take home to support a love of reading.
• Partnerships with parents and carers are strong. Parents say that they are very happy and so are their children. They feel that their children are well looked after, and that staff keep them well informed about their children's progress. For instance, they have regular meetings where staff ask parents what they feel their children need to learn.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• plan more precisely for what individual children need to learn next during activities.