Cleadon Tower Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very happy in the nursery. Parents comment that their children 'love coming'. Children are greeted each morning by caring and thoughtful staff. For example, staff greet children with a new baby in the family enthusiastically. They ask children about the new baby and explain that they have put dolls out so they can look after babies together. Staff are on hand throughout the day to provide reassurance as necessary. Children develop a very good awareness of how they can keep themselves safe. Older children talk confidently about risks in the outdoor area, such as slipping in the mud. They confidently talk about how they need to be very careful as they chop a banana with a knife.

Staff have high overall expectations of what children can achieve. For example, they seize opportunities to develop children's counting skills. Three-year-old children count confidently beyond 20, showing an awareness of how to count a set of objects accurately. Children enjoy learning and demonstrate good concentration for their age. Two-year-old children focus intently as they explore how they can use scissors to cut play dough. Older children listen with enthusiasm to stories. They comment on what is happening and share their own ideas with enthusiasm.

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

• Staff working with babies support their language development well, overall. Occasionally, however, they overwhelm children with talk. For example, staff ask questions or talk to the youngest children about what is in the different areas. When this happens, babies are very quiet and sometimes get frustrated because they do not understand. This does not fully support the development of their own communication skills.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are very well supported. Additional funding is used effectively to support children to make the best possible progress. For example, managers use funding to deploy a member of staff as a one-to-one support. This helps children to access a range of activities throughout the day. Staff are vigilant and recognise signs that children are getting stressed. They use pictorial clues well to help children make choices about what they want to do or to anticipate changes in routines.
• The manager and staff have a strong relationship with other professionals who are involved with children. They act on the advice received and talk to each other about strategies they can use to support children more effectively. The manager and staff contact other professionals in a timely way when they feel families would benefit from extra support. For example, they act swiftly to help parents manage children's behaviour at home. Parents value the support that they receive.
• Although staff talk to children about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and caring for their teeth, they do not give consistent messages regarding healthy eating. For instance, staff talk to children about making healthy choices, but children are not always able to do this at mealtimes.
• Children behave well. They demonstrate a good understanding of the expectations in the nursery rooms. During the inspection, two-year-old children tidied up quickly when they heard the 'tidy up' song. Older children know that they must line up ready to go out. They wait patiently as their friends get their wellington boots and coats on.
• Staff attend a range of training. For example, they are currently adopting a new approach to help children to take control of their own learning. However, the manager now needs to ensure that messages from professional development are consistently implemented. For example, staff know how to support children's stage of development in relation to early writing. However, they do not always ensure that children are provided with appropriate resources to support this.
• Children learn to talk about their emotions. Staff help younger children to recognise how they are feeling, giving children strategies to deal with emotions, such as anger. During the inspection, staff working with two-year-old children encouraged them to 'squeeze their anger out'. Older children use colours to talk about how they are feeling, following on from a book they have read. For example, they confidently explain that they are feeling pink because they are loved.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more opportunities for babies and toddlers to develop their communication skills
• give clear and consistent messages to children and their families about healthy eating to support their physical health
• ensure messages from training are consistently implemented to raise the quality of education even further.