Englefield Green Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thoroughly enjoy their time at the nursery. They are welcomed warmly by staff who are kind, caring and attentive. Babies who are new to the environment benefit from a sensitive settling-in process tailored to meet their needs. Staff readily provide warm cuddles and reassurance, which helps them to feel safe and secure. Children behave well. They form positive relationships with each other from a young age and understand the importance of being kind and sharing. Young children relish engaging in role play together and with staff as they pretend to search for animals in the garden. They run around excitedly as they head off to search for a lion, mimicking the sounds animals make when they find them and gathering leaves and grass to feed them.

All children settle quickly into their self-chosen play and have access to a wide range of interesting activities which staff carefully plan for them. Children demonstrate positive attitudes towards learning. Babies show high levels of curiosity and are keen to explore the environment. They develop their emerging walking skills as they cruise along low-level furniture to play with interactive sensory toys. Older children concentrate intently as they learn how to draw straight lines with a ruler. They keenly practise their new skills to create train tracks, using coloured pencils and a ruler to connect stations on a London Underground map.

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

• The nursery has faced challenges in retaining staff as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders have placed a high priority on building a consistent staff team. This is having a positive impact. Recent recruitment drives and changes to staffing arrangements have resulted in a number of passionate, well-qualified and experienced staff working across the setting. Staff feel extremely well supported by the recently appointed manager and receive regular supervisions and coaching.
• Leaders and staff are committed towards ensuring that all children achieve to the best of their abilities. Staff work closely in partnership with parents and other professionals to ensure that those children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the focused support they need. Additional funding is used effectively for those children who receive it to enhance their learning experiences. As a result, all children, including those with SEND make good progress.
• Staff have a firm understanding of the curriculum which is structured to provide children with the skills and experiences they need in readiness for their transition to the next room and their eventual move to school. However, at times, staff do not always deliver activities or tailor their interactions to ensure that children benefit as fully as possible from the intended learning.
• Children listen and respond to instruction well. This helps them to understand the rules and expectations for behaviour within the nursery. Consequently, children become increasingly independent during routines. For example, younger children are supported to serve their own meals and drinks and tidy away their plates after lunch. Older children tidy away after lunch routinely and without prompting.
• Staff share information with each other effectively to ensure continuity of care and learning. As a result, all staff have a firm understanding of what individual children need to achieve next to make progress in their development. They have a good knowledge of children's individual health and dietary requirements to support their health and well-being.
• Children's communication and language development is positively supported. Children of all ages demonstrate a love of reading. Older children choose books which interest them to read with staff. Staff ask open questions about the stories to encourage lots of discussion. Babies relish song and rhyme time with interactive props. They learn new vocabulary as they sing and move their bodies to songs.
• Leaders demonstrate a clear passion for continuously improving the quality of the provision. They welcome feedback from parents. They regularly monitor the quality of teaching and identify areas of practice where support is needed. There are clear ongoing plans for improvement. For example, leaders recognise there is more scope to enhance the quality of outdoor play so that children benefit from a richer and wider range of learning opportunities.
• Children of all ages are learning the importance of leading healthy lifestyles. They have daily opportunities for physical exercise outdoors. Staff teach children about the importance of dental hygiene as they engage in interactive activities, using toothbrushes to clean laminated pictures of teeth.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• focus coaching and professional development to support staff to deliver the curriculum so that children consistently benefit fully from the intended learning
• enhance the provision for outdoor play so that children have more opportunities to experience a richer and wider range of learning opportunities.