Eltham Green Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive and are welcomed into a warm environment, where staff help them to quickly settle and join their peers for breakfast. Children show that they feel secure, and they form positive relationships with adults, who respond to their needs and give them lots of praise and encouragement. The children enjoy being outside, where they use paint brushes and water to paint on a wall. They jump enthusiastically in puddles, while adults sing 'It's raining, it's pouring' to them.

Children's behaviour and attitudes are good, and they play with each other cooperatively. Very young babies eagerly try new things. They practise their physical skills and coordination. For example, children enjoy climbing to the top of a small ramp. Children receive individual support through a key-person system, where staff help them achieve the next steps in their learning.

The nursery has three rooms that cater for different ages. All are clean and well equipped. Babies are already following routines. For example, they know where to go and sit at snack time. Older children are developing mathematical skills as staff give them practical reasons to count, such as when they line up to go outside. Children also enjoy lots of stories, which adds words to their vocabulary. The recent introduction of a lending library allows them to borrow books to share with their parents and continue this learning at home.

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

• The new managers are reflective and work hard to improve and develop the setting. They value their staff and are supportive, and they know the importance of keeping the staff's training and knowledge up to date. They hold termly reviews to identify any training needs and spend time in the rooms, modelling good practice. Staff say they feel valued and that they can go to the managers for anything.
• Staff have good partnerships with parents. They have many long-standing families who return to them with their younger children. They get to know families well right from the start by offering them a two-week, settling-in period, where they spend time getting to know the children and their families. They use this information to ensure children settle quickly and feel secure. Parents say that the setting is an 'absolute gem' and serves the local community extremely well. They recommend the setting and feel they are kept up to date about their child's progress through parents' evening, newsletters, open days and the new social media account for parents only.
• Leaders know what they want children to learn. They get to know children well and use this knowledge to plan future learning. They identify any children who are at risk from falling behind. They work with parents and outside agencies to help them catch up. They are constantly looking for ways to improve outcomes for children. They are currently in the process of reviewing their curriculum and adopting a new approach across the setting and have recently trained staff.
• Overall, staff encourage children to be independent. Staff work with them so that they can put on their own coat and use the toilet. However, on occasion, staff are too quick to do things for children. They do not always allow them the time and space they need to try things for themselves in preparation for future learning.
• Staff have high expectations of all children. They support even the youngest children to say 'please' and 'thank you'. Children are developing tolerant behaviours. They learn how to respect others' feelings and emotions. Staff teach children how to share, take turns and praise them when they do so. This helps to build an awareness of others and raises their self-esteem and confidence.
• Overall, children's speech and language skills are developing well. From a very young age, staff encourage children to use words by asking them to repeat things back to them. For example, as children play with farm animals, they name them and sing 'Old MacDonald had a farm', encouraging children to join in. Overall, staff asks lots of questions and hold conversations with children about what they are doing. However, at times, staff forget to model how to take turns when speaking, or they answer for children. This means all children do not always get the chance to fully express themselves when they want.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend children's language by giving them more time to share and express their ideas fully while they play
• encourage and give children the space they need to learn how to do things for themselves to further develop their independence.