Crescent Nursery Spotland

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are making good progress in their learning and development because staff have high aspirations for what they can achieve. They engage in a good range of interesting and exciting activities that are well planned. Children have a good understanding of the world around them and their local community. For example, they go on daily walks to the local shop, where they purchase fruit. They also visit the library and post letters in the post box, which helps to widen their experiences. Children develop their mathematical knowledge through the range of experiences that promote this aspect of development. They can work out how many fingers they have on two hands and understand quantity as they cut fruit in half.

Children are confident in the nursery. They make choices and decisions about what they want to play with and how they want to play with it. Children use their skills of independence when filling up the water tray and peeling their own fruit. Children develop their understanding of healthy lifestyles, as they brush their teeth daily. They also learn about cavities and why they need to clean their teeth.

Children benefit from a consistent approach to their teaching and learning because there are good partnerships with parents. Parents feel fully involved in the nursery and recognise the warm and nurturing relationships that staff create with their children.

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

• Leaders and managers have a good knowledge and understanding of the early years foundation stage. They use this knowledge well to accurately reflect upon their strengths and areas for development. Leaders and managers are proactive in their approach and continuously drive forward improvements.
• The individual needs of children are well met, as staff work closely with other professionals, such as health visitors and speech therapists. As a result, the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are addressed.
• Children behave well because staff set out clear rules and boundaries in the nursery and reinforce these throughout the day. Children understand the routine and are confident within the nursery because staff encourage children to test out their own ideas. For example, children choose what they want to paint and how they want to paint it.
• Leaders are clear on the intent for the curriculum, and this is implemented well. Therefore, children receive broad and balanced experiences, which build on their interests. However, children are not always fully challenged in their learning. This does not help them to achieve as well as they could.
• The well-established key-person system ensures that staff and children build effective relationships with each other. Children are happy and settled in the nursery.
• Children learn about what makes them unique and are developing their self-awareness. They draw pictures of themselves using mirrors, talking about facial features, and making self-portraits.
• Children develop their communication and language skills, as staff talk to them throughout the day and model language. Staff engage in interesting conversations with children and use age-appropriate language. Consequently, all children develop their speaking skills, including those who speak English as an additional language.
• Children are well prepared for their next stage of learning because staff focus closely on what children need to learn next. Staff also work in partnership with schools that children will move on to. This helps to ensure that children are developing the skills they will need in the future.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff in developing consistently high-quality teaching across all areas of the nursery.