Coton Green Pre-School Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and eager to learn. Staff resource the environment thoughtfully, with activities that interest children and support their learning needs. Children are kind and caring towards one another. For example, as children engage in burying dolls in the sand, they happily invite others into their play. Children beam with confidence. They display leadership qualities and resolve disputes between themselves. For example, when children play football, they elect a referee who is able to give instructions and solve problems when they arise during the game.

Children demonstrate resilience and perseverance through their play. For example, children encounter challenges as they mount the climbing wall. They keep trying until they reach the top. When they complete the task, they relish their accomplishments and beam with pride. Children show strong attachments to staff members. They receive lots of care and nurture throughout their day. This helps children to feel safe and secure.

Children explore nature, showing curiosity as they dig for worms in the garden. They shriek with excitement as they find one and seek out staff and friends to share their experiences with. These experiences help to build children's knowledge of the world and different habitats.

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

• Leaders plan a broad and varied curriculum and have high expectations for all children. They carefully consider the learning styles and interests of each child. Overall, children happily direct their own play and engage with the activities well. For example, children use their imagination and creativity when engaging in a farm animal junk modelling session. Children solve problems as they attempt to fix different objects together to create their farm animals. However, staff do not plan or teach some adult-led activities as well as possible. Consequently, children are not engaged and leave the activity.
• Staff encourage children's independence well. Children wash their own hands before they help themselves to snack. They pour their own drinks. Staff also encourage children to put on their own coats and shoes before going outdoors.
• Children enjoy playing with play dough. They use their fingers to manipulate the dough and create faces. This helps to build the small muscles in their fingers, which helps in later skills, such as writing. Staff use this opportunity well to talk to children about their emotions.
• Children's behaviour is excellent. They are aware of the behavioural expectations and rules. For example, before using the climbing frame in the garden, they ask permission. When a staff member assists them, she asks children if they remember how many can play on the equipment. The children are all aware that only three children can play at one time. They learn to share and take turns, which helps them to develop socially.
• Parents comment that they are happy with the service that the setting offers. They talk of the online platform used to share information. They comment that their children are making exceptional progress and that they have come on 'leaps and bounds'. They also comment positively on the added support and advice given with regards to potty training.
• Leadership and management are strong. Managers continually reflect on practice and make improvements. When areas are not inviting children to play, staff think of different ways to get the children involved. For example, on reflection, they notice children are not accessing the construction toys. Now the diggers and excavators are outdoors on the soil where it is now a hub of excitement and learning.
• Managers provide a wealth of in-house training opportunities using an online platform. Staff feel well supported. For example, they say that when they express their desire to increase knowledge in special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), they receive the additional training needed. In turn, children with SEND receive excellent help and support. The staff work well with external agencies to assist children with SEND in their learning and development.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff with their planning and teaching of adult-led activities so that children can benefit fully from the planned learning experiences.