Elm Grove Childcare Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children eagerly wait at the nursery gate to start their day. They are happy, settle quickly and choose where to play in the well-planned learning environment. Staff have high expectations for all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. They treat children with respect and value their uniqueness. Children show kindness towards their friends and look for solutions to support them if they become upset. For example, children offer their friends toys or cuddles to help them feel better.

Children are keen to explore the world around them. They have plenty of opportunities to visit places of interest in the local community. For example, children enjoy trips to the allotment where staff teach them how to plant and care for a variety of fruits and vegetables. They come back to the setting and proudly show their friends the potatoes they have grown and picked. Staff skilfully ask questions to develop children's concentration and curiosity skills.

Children behave well, understand the nursery rules and respect their environment. Staff are consistent in their approach to behaviour management and support the children extremely well. Children use books to help them understand their emotions. They excitedly talk about the book 'colour monster' to identify how they are feeling. For example, one child explained, 'I am like the pink colour monster today, because I feel loved'.

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

• The manager and staff team have made significant improvements since the last inspection. Robust risk assessments are now in place to safeguard the children inside and outside of the nursery, and staff have improved their knowledge of safeguarding practice. The manager is committed to ensuring children have the best start in life. Staff, including student staff, are well supported through regular supervisions and training opportunities to continually improve teaching methods.
• Staff observe and assess children's learning. They carefully monitor the progress that children make. The manager uses this information to provide support for children in receipt of additional funding. However, this information is not always shared with the child's key person to evaluate the impact of funding on children's progress.
• The manager and staff understand how children learn and develop. They adopt a curiosity approach and skilfully provide opportunities that capture their interest. Children are motivated and make good progress, which prepares them for next stage in learning, including school.
• Children's early communication skills are extremely well supported and opportunities for them to practise these skills are threaded throughout the curriculum. Adults model language and share new words with children connected with planned activities or their interests. Children confidently recall their favourite stories and talk about different types of books.
• Children show a keen interest in writing and can recognise letters that have meaning to them. They are eager to share their achievements. For example, children shout with excitement to show staff that they have written their name independently.
• Parents are well informed about children's learning and speak very highly of the care children receive. They state that, 'The nursery has made a massive difference in our lives, I would have been lost without them all'. Another parent stated, 'The staff are always looking for new ways to engage the children and enrich their learning'.
• Children are developing a good understanding of mathematical language. Staff include counting and shape as part of everyday routines. However, occasionally, opportunities to embed and progress these skills are missed during child-initiated play.
• The manager ensures that all children and families are supported during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. She provides parents with activities to support children's learning and communicates effectively with families to check their well-being.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• share information about children who receive additional funding with key persons, to further assess the impact on children's progress
• strengthen staff's teaching skills to ensure they consistently provide opportunities to embed and extend children's learning, particularly through child-initiated play.