Cliff House Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The curriculum supports children to develop a love of learning. Children happily explore the setting, accessing a wide range of resources. Staff nurture children's imagination. For example, staff and children huddle together on the pirate ship and press the 'special button'. Children say that they are going on a 'magical adventure'. Staff encourage them to use their imaginations to describe what they can see. Children show sustained involvement in activities that follow their interests.

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

• Staff use assessments to plan effectively for children's next steps in learning and to identify when children may benefit from extra help. They are supported by knowledgeable special educational needs coordinators, who have formed excellent relationships with other agencies. This enables staff to provide interventions and modified activities that help all children to make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to plant, nurture and harvest fruits and vegetables in the nursery's allotment. Children recap on previous learning as they discuss what plants need to help them to grow. They eagerly shout 'found one!' as they find a courgette and proudly hand over their produce to the chef so it can be used in the meals in nursery. Children demonstrate a real interest in the world around them.
• Staff provide a range of stimulating activities to encourage children's physical development. Staff encourage babies to climb up small steps and they beam with pride as they reach the top. Older children jump along actively like 'bouncy bears' to songs. They carry water and stretch their arms up high to make marks with water on fences. Children enjoy lots of time outdoors to support their physical skills and well-being.
• Staff help children to learn early mathematical concepts as they play alongside them. For example, staff count along as children climb up steps. As older children explore the allotment, staff introduce mathematical language to describe the size of the fruits and to count how many the children collect. Children develop good mathematical skills and enjoy using their mathematical knowledge in a range of activities.
• Staff ensure that children have access to their favourite stories and frequently read aloud to children with enthusiasm. Babies eagerly turn the pages of books and, as staff name the animals, copy the sounds that the animals make. Children retell familiar stories through play. For example, as they go outside, they act out 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' together. These experiences help to promote children's early literacy skills.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents receive regular updates about their children's learning and development. They are extremely complimentary about the setting and state that their children 'love attending'. Parents feel involved in their children's learning and are able to share relevant information with staff. They comment on the good progress their children have made during their time at the nursery.
• Leaders are experienced and committed in their roles. They support staff to feel valued and provide a range of professional development opportunities to help deepen their knowledge. However, leaders do not always monitor the impact this has on staff practice. This means that the quality of education is not consistent across the team. Furthermore, leaders do not always check that all staff fully understand and implement key policies consistently. This leads to further inconsistencies in staff practice throughout the nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve consistency in staff's practice by having a clearer oversight of the impact of training on the quality of education
• check staff's understanding and implementation of key policies and procedures to support the consistent implementation of these throughout the setting.