Farington Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children confidently separate from their parents and carers to enter a buzz of excitement in the nursery. Caring staff form warm, trusting and supportive relationships with children and their families. They are attentive to children's needs and listen to their thoughts and feelings. Staff support children to understand their emotions through discussions and books. They develop strategies to help children to regulate their feelings. Children demonstrate they feel safe and happy.

Staff clearly communicate to children the expectations for their behaviour. Routines are well embedded. Children listen, follow instructions and wait patiently for a place at the snack table. They understand what it means to 'play fair', sharing resources and cooperating well together. Staff consistently recognise and praise children's efforts and achievements. They encourage children to fully engage in their learning. As a result, children behave well and show respect for others.

Managers have designed an ambitious curriculum that is focused on children's communication and language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development. Staff use observations and assessments to plan sequenced learning for children. They support children to recall and apply prior knowledge. For instance, when harvesting potatoes, staff encourage children to think about what they need to grow and question them effectively to recall parts of the plant. All children make good progress.

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

• Managers support staff to create individualised curriculums for their key children that target the most pertinent areas of their development. Staff use their strong knowledge of each child and plan learning experiences that build on children's existing skills and knowledge. They quickly identify gaps in children's learning and provide focused support to narrow any gaps in their learning.
• There are effective systems in place to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff collaborate with parents and professionals to provide children with timely and appropriate support plans. They set realistic and challenging next steps, so children achieve success in their learning. Staff use funding well to help children with SEND to make good progress from their starting points in development.
• Staff plan a range of activities to develop children's communication and language skills. They encourage conversations and introduce new vocabulary through stories, songs and play. Children repeat new words, such as 'vast', 'experiment' and 'estimate'. This helps children to become confident communicators.
• Staff prioritise children's physical development. Children enhance their gross motor skills, such as when balancing on beams, engaging in large mark making and digging in the garden. They develop their fine motor skills with carefully selected resources, such as magnetic maze puzzles and squeezable paints. These approaches help children to progress well physically.
• Staff expertly weave mathematics into children's play, prompting them to compare sizes of towers, estimate and touch count. They use mathematical language, such as 'more', 'tallest' and 'curved', throughout the session. This helps to prepare children for school.
• Staff teach children about healthy choices, such as by involving them in growing fruits and vegetables. They offer nutritious snacks and use books and resources to promote good oral health. Staff ensure that children have many opportunities for outdoor play and physical exercise. This supports children's understanding of healthy lifestyle choices.
• An established key-person system supports children's emotional stability and readiness for learning. Staff know children extremely well and recognise when they need reassurance and support. For instance, they engage children through storytelling and offer comfort before initiating activities. These secure relationships meet children's needs consistently.
• Staff maintain strong partnerships with parents. Parents state they receive regular updates. They are invited to participate in stay-and-play sessions and receive suggestions for activities at home with their children. Parents know their children make progress. This provides continuity in children's care and learning.
• Staff appreciate children's individual background and beliefs. They support children to explore various religious festivals and provide resources to foster diversity, inclusion and equality. Children learn about their uniqueness, preparing them for life in modern Britain.
• Managers are attentive to staff's well-being and the pressures they may face. They use supervision sessions to support staff to deliver a well-planned curriculum for all children. Managers focus staff's professional development on the areas that staff individually lead on. However, this support does not consistently enhance individual staff's practice and knowledge further. This means that staff are less confident in other areas of learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend arrangements for support for staff to enhance their practice and teaching across all areas of learning.