Elm Park Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children wave and shout with delight as they meet their friends in the front entrance. Together, they happily enter the nursery, where they are enthusiastically greeted by the acting manager. The presence of a member of staff by the front door welcoming children by name helps all children to feel safe and secure. The curriculum for children is well designed. Children settle quickly at activities that capture their interests. They show high levels of curiosity, concentration and focus. For example, pre-school children use different-coloured strings to weave intricate patterns on boards. They show resilience and the ability to problem-solve as they encounter difficulty.

Children's behaviour is good. Staff are positive role models to children. Children show an understanding of the rules and boundaries in place. For example, during a group activity, children say that they must not snatch resources from each other. Staff have high expectations of children. They promote children's independence across all areas of learning. Staff offer children lots of praise and encouragement. They tell children how proud they are of them. This helps children to build their confidence and self-esteem. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well within the nursery. They work with parents and other agencies to ensure that children's individual needs are met.

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

• Staff know children extremely well. They talk in detail about children's starting points in learning, the progress they have made since, and what it is they need to learn next. Children are well prepared for the next stage of their learning.
• Staff deal with the care routines of young children sensitively. They sing to babies while they change their nappies. When babies cry, staff swiftly pick them up and comfort them. Staff follow children's individual sleep routines in the dedicated sleep area, ensuring that babies feel safe and secure.
• The acting manager has an ambitious curriculum for the development of children's communication and language. Staff use core stories in each room and children hear a variety of songs and rhymes throughout the day. However, staff do not implement the curriculum in this area consistently across the nursery. For instance, not all staff fully understand how to use open-ended questions to allow children opportunities to engage in conversations using their expanding vocabularies.
• Some transitions, especially those leading to mealtimes, do not always support the needs of all children. For example, staff ask younger children to sit down too early before their meals are ready. This leads to younger children becoming restless.
• Staff promote children's healthy lifestyles. Children peel and cut their own fresh fruit for snack. Their meals are cooked fresh every day. Children understand the importance of washing their hands. They talk about what keeps them healthy and strong.
• Children discover the world around them. They go on community walks, learning about different shops, people who help them and places of worship. Children take part in celebrations that are important to them and others. In the pre-school room during show-and-tell sessions, children share things that are important to them. This helps to give them the confidence to speak in front of their peers and to listen to and respect the views of others.
• Parents speak highly of the nursery. They are happy with the communication they receive, which includes daily updates on an app, alongside verbal feedback, weekly memos and monthly newsletters. Parents comment on the relationship between staff and children. They describe how children talk fondly of their time at the nursery.
• Staff feel supported by leaders. Leaders use regular supervision sessions to allow staff to discuss any concerns they have and opportunities for their professional development. Staff are passionate about investing in their own learning for the benefit of children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop all staff's knowledge of how to implement the curriculum for communication and language so that all children make even better progress in their language development
• consider how transitions, especially those leading to mealtimes, can be managed to meet the needs of all children.