Fennies Raynes Park

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Managers and staff create a warm and welcoming environment. Children happily arrive and are keen to see staff and their friends and start their day. Staff have lovely relationships with children and support them to settle in effectively. Staff tailor settling-in sessions to each child's individual needs, and when children move rooms, parents are invited to transition evenings. As a result, all children demonstrate they feel safe and secure. Staff provide children with lots of praise and encouragement throughout the day. They support children to keep trying when something is challenging. Children have a positive attitude to their learning and enjoy their time at the nursery.

Managers and staff have a good understanding of how children learn and how to implement their curriculum. They place a strong focus on following children's lead in play and plan activities based on their interests, while also introducing new and exciting concepts or fascinations. For example, children celebrate different artists each month and enjoy trying out different techniques as they explore a range of colours and textures. Children confidently explore the bright spaces and enjoy spending lots of time outside in the well-resourced gardens. Staff encourage children to develop their physical skills as children climb up hills and through tunnels and enjoy making food in the outdoor mud kitchens.

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

• The new management team is highly reflective and involves staff in looking at what the nursery is doing well and what it could do to improve the outcomes for children. It collects regular feedback from parents through questionnaires and listens to the children's committee and uses this information to make improvements.
• Staff support children to be independent effectively. For example, babies learn to feed themselves at mealtimes, and older children confidently serve themselves and pour their own drinks. Staff encourage pre-school children to sign themselves in each morning and take part in the classroom's voting system.
• Staff know the children well, what they are doing and what they need to learn next. They confidently talk about children, their interests and how they plan to continue to support their development. Staff regularly monitor children's development and plan for the next steps in their learning. They quickly identify any gaps in children's learning and make plans to support them. As a result, all children make good progress and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.
• Staff are well deployed around the nursery and engage with children effectively in their play. For instance, babies delight in exploring water as they fill up and empty different-sized containers. Older children enjoy acting out their favourite stories, such as 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. Staff provide a range of sensory experiences, such as stepping through mud, wet paint and water to replicate the different stages in the story.
• Staff are well supported by the management team and feel valued and listened to. Managers complete regular peer observations and give feedback to staff. Staff also receive training, such as on behaviour management, which has had a positive impact on their interactions with children. It has also given staff a range of strategies on how to deal with challenging behaviour.
• Staff promote children's positive behaviour effectively. They are good role models for children and give them lots of gentle reminders about how to behave and what is expected of them. When needed, staff work well together using consistent strategies to support children.
• The manager and staff have good relationships with parents. They hold regular events and meetings to keep parents up to date with their children's learning and share ideas for extending this at home. Managers also provide regular workshops to support parents. These include supporting parents around weaning, behaviour management, potty training and sleep advice.
• Overall, staff support children's early language skills effectively. They are good role models to younger children, speaking clearly and slowly, encouraging children to repeat what they say. With older children, staff introduce new vocabulary and ask questions to extend children's thinking skills. However, at times, the toddler room can become very noisy and does not support children trying to focus on their chosen activity.
• Managers and staff work closely with parents and other professionals to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They use strategies, such as visual aids and signing, to support children's communication and share ideas to support children's learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review how the environment in the toddler room is organised to reduce the level of noise to support children to focus on their chosen activity.