Ethelburga Early Years

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide a welcoming and exciting environment to help all children develop a positive sense of self in the nursery. For example, staff encourage older children to keenly hang up their coats on labelled coat pegs and register their arrival. Staff are caring and sensitive in their approach to ensure that children's personal, social and emotional development is carefully considered well, overall. For example, staff enthusiastically greet children on their arrival and help them to settle. Children show that they feel safe and emotionally secure. Staff plan many opportunities for children to develop their confidence and independence well. For example, they encourage older children to serve themselves during mealtimes, and staff in the baby room plan many sensory experiences for very young children to become inquisitive and confident learners.

Staff have high expectations for all children's behaviour. For example, they support older children to listen and follow instructions effectively to help them learn how to keep safe, such as when they play outdoors. Staff who support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are consistent in their approach. This leads to all children demonstrating very positive behaviour. Staff develop a curriculum based on children's individual learning needs to ensure all children are well prepared for the next stages in their learning, particularly children in receipt of additional funding and children with SEND.

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

• Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this nursery. They are busy and motivated learners. For example, older children listen intently as they participate in sound lotto games. They excitedly guess different environmental sounds, such as a door bell and thunder. This further helps to support children's speaking, listening and attention skills.
• Overall, staff support children's good health well. However, not all staff are consistent in their approach to helping all children understand the importance of being regularly active to deepen their knowledge of how to be healthy.
• Staff plan challenging experiences to help to develop children's physical abilities, coordination and strength. For example, older children demonstrate their physical skills outdoors when they keenly kick footballs, ride tricycles and climb a climbing frame. Babies confidently crawl, walk while holding onto furniture and toddle to explore the indoor environment. They keenly crawl through tunnels and roll down soft playsets, which helps to strengthen large muscles.
• The nursery curriculum for mathematics is embedded well. Staff implement many opportunities for children to develop a positive attitude in early mathematics. For example, staff skilfully encourage children to count, match and sequence 'maths cubes'. Children keenly recognise shapes and colours as they explore light and shade, which also helps to enhance their sensory skills.
• Staff carefully consider children's daily care routines. For example, they are very sensitive in their approach when they change babies' and toddlers' nappies to help to support their personal needs and emotional well-being.
• The manager has an ambitious vision for providing good-quality care and education to all children. They focus on areas for improvement as they engage effectively with parents to seek and value their views. For example, they have decorated the pre-school room to create a calming environment. However, the manager recognises that more can be done to ensure that the well-established staff team receives regular professional development opportunities to keep its knowledge and skills current.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review staff's planning of daily routines to help enhance children's understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle
• strengthen the plans for professional development to drive the quality of teaching further.