First Class Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and separate from their parents and/or carers with ease. They form strong relationships with the kind and caring staff. Staff ensure that settling-in sessions are tailored to meet children's individual needs. This helps children to feel relaxed when they first begin to attend. Children are very content and enthusiastically investigate a good range of resources to support their learning. They are eager to play and motivated to learn. Babies develop a can-do attitude. They persevere as they climb and balance on small climbing apparatus. Staff sit alongside them to support and encourage their play. Children listen attentively to stories that are read enthusiastically by staff. They extend children's learning based on conversations that arise in the moment. For example, staff explain that the money raised from wearing their pyjamas to nursery will help children who are not as fortunate as themselves.

Children behave well. They have a good understanding of what staff expect from them. Pre-school children listen attentively to instructions and are keen to take responsibility for small tasks. Staff present children with a lanyard with a picture of their designated task. Pre-school children proudly wear the lanyard. They take ownership of their task and carefully give out cups and cutlery at lunchtime. Pre-school children respond positively to staff's praise and encouragement.

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

• The knowledgeable and experienced manager works alongside her dedicated staff team on a daily basis. Together, they provide children with good-quality care and education. The staff report that they feel very well supported by the manager, both professionally and personally. They regularly meet with her to discuss best practice and identify training needs.
• The key-person system is effective. Staff know children and their families well. They seek a wide range of information from parents during settling-in sessions. Staff make regular observations of what children know and can do. They use this information to plan a broad and interesting curriculum, which supports children to make good progress from their individual starting points.
• Children develop good communication and language skills. They delight in singing songs and rhymes. Staff use single words and associated sounds to support the youngest children's emerging speech. They engage children in meaningful conversations throughout the day. Children talk about their experiences at home. For example, they tell staff that they are going to a birthday party and that there will be cake. Although staff teach some children the language of feelings, they are yet to fully embed this throughout the nursery to support all children to develop the language to describe their emotions.
• Staff ensure that the curriculum meets the needs of all children who attend.
• They effectively support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff use sign language and visual displays to support children's understanding of activities and everyday routines. They speak regularly with other professionals to share information about children's learning and development. This helps staff to actively plan to move children with SEND forward in their learning. Children with SEND make good progress.
• The nursery provides children with nutritious meals and snacks. Children benefit from lots of fresh air and exercise. They develop good physical skills. Children excitedly ride on wheeled toys. Young children enthusiastically use small brushes to paint a large board with water. This helps them to develop strength in their arms in readiness for early writing.
• Staff form strong relationships with parents, who speak highly of the nursery. Parents comment on the lovely staff and how happy their children are to attend. Staff share information with parents in a range of ways, such as through online learning records and discussions at drop-off and collection times. Staff support parents to continue children's learning at home. Parents regularly borrow books to read with their children at home.
• Staff support children to use electronic devices, such as tablets, to extend their learning. For example, children recently used tablets to research where milk comes from. Although staff supervise children well during these activities, they are yet to consider ways to fully support children to gain an even better understanding of how to keep themselves safe when using technology.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide children with even more experiences to learn about the language of feelings and emotions
• strengthen opportunities to further support children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe when using digital technology.