First Friends Nursery and Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are extremely happy and settled in this welcoming setting. They run and skip through the gate, beaming and waving goodbye to parents. Children willingly follow routines, and they hang their coats on their peg and find their named bear as part of self-registration. Children feel safe and have established trusting relationships with staff.

Staff are excellent role models. Children understand and respond well to the high expectations set for them. Nurturing staff are patient and value all children. For example, children vote for favourite stories at group time. They practise taking turns and focus for long periods to complete puzzles. Children are resilient and take pride in their achievements.

Staff are passionate about providing a rich curriculum and inspiring children's imagination and curiosity. Younger children excitedly explore footprints after jumping and splashing in the puddles they make. Children predict different endings to stories, using puppets and costumes to bring their ideas to life. Staff place a strong emphasis on developing children's communication and language. They skilfully weave questions and conversation harmoniously into everyday activities. This allows children to hear and practise vocabulary. For example, older children confidently talk about how to move across an assault course. Children are eager and ready for the next stage of learning.

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

• Partnership with parents is good. They are highly complementary about the 'amazing, well-established' staff team who constantly go 'above and beyond'. Parents receive an abundance of information regarding their children's development and ideas for home learning. This supports continuity of children's care and education.
• The manager is passionate about what children need to learn. Staff clearly know what their key children can do and provide an engaging environment. Regular supervisions and targeted training allow staff to identify and narrow gaps in children's learning. For example, recent training in communication and language has increased staff confidence in building children's vocabulary through skilful questioning. Children make good progress in their learning.
• Care practices are good. Staff regularly talk to children about how to keep safe and healthy. For example, choosing to eat fruit and vegetables, the importance of brushing teeth and hand washing to 'wash away the germs'. Children are free to explore and assess their own risks during play. Children have an awareness of how to remain safe and follow a healthy lifestyle.
• Staff organise small group and individual activities purposefully. They use questions to extend and challenge children's learning in calm, well-planned environments. However, when staff plan large and whole group activities, these are not as effective. For example, older children's physical movements are restricted when building due to the number of children in the space. Younger children's listening and understanding skills are not fully supported as staff carry out routine jobs during whole group story time. Children become restless. This can limit some children's access to intended learning.
• Children are exposed to early maths vocabulary during everyday activities. For example, counting the number of children in the line, naming the triangle shapes made in their obstacle course and comparing who has more fruit at snack time. Children confidently use mathematical language in their play.
• Children have opportunities to be independent and confident explorers. They turn the water tap on and off to fill jugs and sieves and eagerly help to give their friends plates and cups at snack time. However, at times, staff help children before allowing them to try for themselves. Not all children pour their own drinks or serve their food. At times, not all staff encourage children to put their coats on and fasten zips as much as they can. This impacts on their ability to develop strong self-help skills, ready for moving on to school.
• The support in place for children with special educational needs/and or disabilities (SEND) is excellent. The special educational needs coordinator and manager work closely with other professionals, to ensure that children with SEND receive tailored support for their individual needs. Children with SEND flourish and make good progress from their starting points.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider the planning of large group activities to ensure that all children achieve the most from their learning experiences
• further strengthen staff understanding of the importance of children using their self-help skills at every opportunity, to develop their independence.