Filkins Nursery (The Old Station Nursery Ltd)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and settle quickly into the nursery's familiar routines. They make strong attachments with staff, especially their key person. Staff know and understand the children very well. Children demonstrate good levels of independence as they explore the nursery environments. Staff find out relevant information, such as children's interests and care needs, as part of the settling-in arrangements. Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. They use consistent and effective strategies to promote positive behaviour. Staff take every opportunity to praise children, however small their achievement is. This helps to promote children's self-esteem and confidence.

Staff provide a tailored and varying curriculum of activities to ensure that curiosity is fostered in children of all ages. Children investigate and explore as they develop a range of skills. For example, younger children show curiosity as they examine a variety of different textured materials and objects. They develop their small muscles and coordination as they feel the materials in their hands in wonder. Older children use many resources to develop their physical, social and imagination skills. For instance, they delight in making roads for cars. Staff capture the children's interest and extend this as they are cleverly transformed into a pretend car wash outside. Children excitedly sit on wheeled toys and queue up for their turn through the car wash. Children show a 'can-do' attitude and work well together as they risk assess the forest-school area. This supports children in learning how to keep themselves safe.

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

• Recent management and alterations to the team have seen effective changes within the nursery. The manager is committed, knowledgeable and an effective leader. Management and the staff team work closely together. They have a clear vision and carry out robust self-evaluation that considers the views of the children, parents and staff. This is accurate and drives continual improvements, which have a positive impact on the outcomes for children.
• The senior team and staff have expertly designed a curriculum to include skills that build on children's unique experiences, interests and what they know and can do. Staff interactions with children are good and they promote children's development well. This helps to inspire and engage children in their learning at nursery.
• Staff promote children's early mathematical skills well. They encourage children to count blocks they are using to build towers. Children explore many games and resources and learn to sequence and recognise numbers. They confidently use appropriate language to compare the sizes of different objects. Staff teach children the shapes of common objects.
• Staff help children's growing language and communication skills. Staff read stories and sing songs with children throughout the day. Young children select props and sing along to simple musical rhymes they have memorised. Older children demonstrate developing concentration as they take part in group time. For instance, children listen intently as staff read the book 'The Gruffalo'. Staff provide time for children to suggest what might happen next, before children excitedly hunt for characters from the story in the garden. There are many books available for children to access independently in the environment. This helps children to develop a love of books.
• Staff teach children the importance of good health. Children learn about the positive choices that contribute to healthy lifestyles. They spend a lot of time outside, where they are physically active. Staff provide a range of nutritious snacks and light meals that children enjoy. Children demonstrate good manners and personal and social skills as they sit with staff at lunchtime.
• Staff undertake mandatory training to meet requirements, such as safeguarding, food hygiene and paediatric first aid. Staff report they feel well supported to carry out their roles and maintain a healthy work and home-life balance. However, leaders do not fully focus on wider training opportunities to support staff's professional development and consider the impact the training has on the quality of education.
• Staff develop positive relationships with parents. Parents are very positive in their views. They comment that they receive plenty of good communication, support and guidance to help ensure that their children have a positive time at nursery. Parents state that their children are developing social skills and are making friends. They appreciate the additional support that staff have sought from other professionals. This includes support for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance wider professional development and focus specifically on reflecting on the impact the training has on the quality of education.