Coconut Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children quickly develop strong attachments with staff, who greet them with a warm smile and 'hello' on arrival. Staff offer reassurance and encouragement to children. Babies receive lots of cuddles to settle them during the day. This build children's confidence and helps them to feel safe and secure, ready to begin their learning. Children demonstrate respect towards one another and behave well. Conflicts are swiftly managed by staff, who are positive role models and are calm and nurturing towards all the children. Leaders and staff are passionate for children to learn about the world around them and how to lead healthy and happy lifestyles. Children are eager to investigate and are curious about their environment. They explore the growing area in the garden and have seen how the weather has had an impact on the plants they have grown.

Leaders are ambitious for every child. The curriculum is varied and broad to provide children with learning experiences that create curiosity and excitement. Children make good progress. There is a strong emphasis on supporting children to become confident communicators. Children playing in a group to decorate a rocket speak with one another as they decide what to add to enhance its appearance. They display joy as the rocket quickly becomes colourful with a range of foil and paper, as they encourage one another in their play. Children have a good attitude to learning.

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

• The manager values her staff and ensures that regular supervision identifies staff strengths and areas that need further support. Staff attend regular training to try to ensure teaching practice is consistent and that children have the best learning experiences. The manager checks in with staff's well-being, which staff value.
• Children experience a varied curriculum, which includes opportunities each day to engage with outside professionals. Children enjoy football, puppetry delivered in French, music, and drama. Children share their joy as they watch in awe at the puppet show and repeat back familiar words such as 'la mer' and 'le bateau'.
• Staff support children's independence from an early age. Children learn how to put on their coats, hats and gloves when they go outside to play. They use cutlery and serve themselves at mealtimes, where able. Staff encourage children to keep trying and not to be afraid to make mistakes.
• Children develop their physical skills through a sequence of learning. Babies cruise along furniture as they build their strength and confidence for walking. Outdoors, children learn to take risks as they balance on planks and climb the frames. Children use tricycles to manoeuvre around the playground and whoop in delight as they swerve their vehicles. Children explore play dough as they build their finger muscles. This helps to develop their fine motor skills in preparation for early writing.
• The nursery staff have a strong ethos of protecting the environment and teaching the children to do so. Staff provide children with the responsibility within their eco-team which ensures resources are recycled each day. Books that need to be replaced are re-used by creating story books for the pre-school children. Children choose characters to cut from the pages to create a new story board. This helps children to build on their vocabulary and use their imagination.
• Children have access to a wide range of books, both inside and outside. They learn to love literature, with regular storytelling opportunities where staff bring stories to life through actions and sounds. Babies snuggle up as they listen intently. Older children excitedly recall familiar parts of the story which they know well.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery and the staff. Parents know who the key person is for their child through an effective settling-in and communication process. Parents are reassured that when their child starts at the nursery, they can leave when their child is ready. Staff are nurturing and kind. The manager offers support during crucial milestones for children, such as the birth of siblings, which parents appreciate.
• Staff plan for children so that their learning is based on what the children know now, and what they need to know next. However, some staff are not aware of individual children's interests and their next steps in learning. So, on occasion, children are not fully engaged and do not get the most out of activities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure staff, especially those with key-person responsibilities, are aware of children's interests and next steps, so that children are deeply engaged and benefit fully from nursery activities.