Early Years Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this friendly nursery. They happily leave their parents at the door. Children of all ages, including the very youngest, develop warm and affectionate relationships with staff. Babies remain close to staff who support them as they explore. Highly attentive staff support children to be safe and develop emotional security.

Two-year-old children make choices about what they want to do. They move around the room, selecting resources that interest them. For example, they use their hand-to-eye coordination to build towers. Staff encourage them to build their towers higher. Three-year-old children show confidence when they bring visitors a book to read to them. Pre-school children enjoy a range of activities to support their curiosity. They use their imagination and dress up as astronauts as they explore the enticing pretend space station.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. For example, they help children to understand rules and boundaries, especially when they use the soft-play zone. Children understand they must only go down the slide feet first. From a young age, babies show a sharing and caring attitude. For example, babies offer their peers toys. Staff offer lots of praise, which contributes to babies growing self-esteem.

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

• The provider and her management team are strong role models and support staff well. They strive for high-quality care and learning in an inclusive environment. They lead a well-established, experienced team of staff, who share their ambition. The leaders constantly evaluate the nursery, seeking opinions from parents.
• Staff observe and assess children's learning regularly. They implement a sequenced curriculum that builds on what they want children to learn next. For example, staff working with three-year-old children have recognised that since the COVID-19 pandemic, children have been doing less for themselves. This means staff working with this age group concentrate on encouraging independence.
• Children play and learn in an environment that is rich in language. Staff working with all age groups speak clearly to children as they play, introducing new vocabulary and modelling good grammar.
• Staff working with pre-school children recognised after the COVID-19 pandemic, some children were struggling to regulate their behaviour. They worked together with the children to devise a set of rules and boundaries and created a visual picture board to reinforce these. Children show good behaviour and know what staff expect of them.
• While teaching is strong, overall staff consistently give children their undivided attention when playing alongside them. There are occasions when teaching and learning is not consistently delivered to the highest level. As staff engage children in activities, they occasionally miss children who are less confident to join in.
• The nursery have a unique feature of a soft-play and ball pool zone. Children have fun when they access this area. Staff carefully supervise them as they play. Children demonstrate superb physical skills as they confidently climb, slide and jump.
• Staff maintain ongoing discussions with parents. They recognise limitations placed on children during recent events. This includes social interactions with other children. Consequently, staff ensure they broaden children's experiences by encouraging interactions with their peers. For example, children of different ages come together at different points of the day.
• Children who speak English as an additional language make good progress. Staff provide targeted small-group activities to promote language skills for all children. For example, staff provide visual prompts, such as, 'singing spoons' to encourage participation. Children look at books with staff, and listen and engage with enthusiasm at story time.
• The managers use additional funding thoughtfully. For example, staff work one- to-one with children who need it. This gives those that need it instant help and support to enable them to make good progress.
• A strength of the nursery is how the managers and staff have developed very positive relationships with parents. Parents speak extremely highly about the setting and clearly attribute their child's good progress to the time they spend there. Parents commend the communication they have with the nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• reflect on the quality of teaching and learning experiences of children to build on the existing good practice and measure what is being done well and what could be further improved.