Faith Child Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff greet children warmly at the door each morning. They take time to talk to each parent when children arrive. This means that transitions between home and nursery are easy for children. Staff build trusting relationships with children, which helps children to feel secure. Children happily approach staff to enthusiastically share their ideas and to celebrate their achievements. For example, they all jump for joy and cuddle one another when they successfully throw a ball through the net.

Staff know children well. They provide activities that reflect children's interests. For example, staff follow children's lead in a dancing activity as they copy children's moves. Leaders are clear about what children need to learn and why. Staff use information gathered through their observations of children to provide meaningful experiences and to help extend their learning further. Staff help all children to make good progress in relation to their starting points in development. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children who speak English as an additional language.

Staff consistently help children to understand the expectations for their behaviour. Staff's approach to how children's behaviour is managed has a positive impact on how well children learn what is right and wrong.

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

• Leaders have a clear intent for what they want children to learn. Staff are skilled at sequencing children's learning. Their teaching is good. Staff plan group activities consistently well to ensure that the learning of all children taking part is maximised.
• Supporting children's communication is a strength at the setting. Staff comment on what children do and, because of this, children describe their actions as they do them. For example, children carry a pot full of water and comment how heavy it is. Staff introduce new words, such as 'rotating'. They explain what it means. Children are confident talkers and happily share their views with staff. Staff listen to children with interest, which helps them to feel valued. Staff support children's long-term memory by revisiting past experiences.
• Children develop an interest in books. Staff engage children well as they animatedly read familiar stories. Children retell and re-enact the stories. For example, they make their own mixture for honey biscuits as they look at the illustrations in the book. Staff introduce a book lending scheme to support parents in reading to their children at home. Children also often visit the local library. This supports their developing love of reading.
• Staff provide children with many opportunities to practise and strengthen their small and big muscles. Children make choices to play indoors and outdoors. They enjoy exploring malleable materials and play with water. Children participate in vigorous physical activities, including playing sports and dancing.
• Overall, children gain an early understanding of how to keep their bodies safe and healthy. For instance, children learn about healthy choices as they discuss items of healthy food and the importance of hygiene, including oral hygiene. They understand the importance of keeping their hands clean. However, on occasion, staff did not help children to understand why they should not be speaking with food in their mouth. As a result, children do not gain a consistent knowledge of the risks of choking.
• Staff are consistently supportive in helping children to behave well. They teach children breathing techniques to help them to stay calm and self-regulate their behaviour. Staff teach children the language of feelings. This helps children to recognise and talk about their emotions.
• Leaders have robust systems in place to monitor staff's practice and hold regular supervision meetings. Staff report that they feel part of the team and are well supported. Staff attend regular training and state that they feel valued.
• Parents speak highly of the caring and loving staff. They say that staff keep them well informed about their children's learning through daily chats and regular reports. Parents say their children are happy and eagerly come to the setting to play with their friends. Parents positively comment on staff's support during transition and how they ensure that children are school ready.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• use all opportunities to extend children's understanding of practices that support their good health.