First Place Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled at the nursery. They are warmly welcomed by staff, who know them well. Children enjoy a good range of toys and resources. They show pleasure and excitement in the activities planned by staff. For example, they enjoy listening to stories that staff animate to ignite children's imagination. This supports their speech and language development well.

Children benefit from effective procedures when they first start. This helps to promote positive key-person relationships. For instance, when children start nursery, they have settling-in sessions at different times of the day. This helps them become familiar with their new environment, different toys and new people. Staff mirror children's sleep routines effectively, which supports them to feel safe and secure. Most children behave well and, overall, staff have high expectations for their behaviour. Staff use simple language to help children follow instructions promptly. For instance, older children wait until everyone is seated and served at mealtimes before they all start to eat.

Younger children enjoy exploring with a wide variety of sensory activities. For example, they have fun investigating paint, glitter and sand. This promotes their confidence in exploring different textures and materials.

Staff take good account of children's needs when using additional funding. For instance, they obtain resources to support children's learning needs, and also experiences that may help widen their understanding of the world.

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

• Staff provide a range of opportunities for children to be active and develop their small- and large-muscle skills. For instance, they teach young children how to throw balls into the ball pit, promoting successful hand-to-eye coordination. Children smile with delight when the ball lands in the ball pit. Older children develop their small-muscle skills well. They become thoroughly engaged and concentrate well when building towers with blocks.
• Staff demonstrate a good understanding of how to develop children's language. For example, staff repeat simple words when playing with younger children. They name items that children are playing with, such as 'ball' or 'dinosaur'. Children then go on to copy these words in their play. Older children enjoy dancing to nursery rhymes with their friends. They move excitedly to the music as they sing, and this helps to develop their vocabulary well.
• Overall, staff demonstrate that they have a clear vision for what they want children to learn. However, at times, not all staff have a confident understanding of what they are aiming to teach. For example, staff sometimes do not consider the organisation of activities and the resources needed to help them implement the learning intentions effectively.
• Children demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. They are eager to explore their environment. Staff are on hand to support older children when taking risks, such as cycling downhill on their bicycles. However, on occasion, such as during self-chosen play, staff do not consistently recognise when some children need further support. For instance, to help them become more aware of the impact of their behaviours on others, and to support their self-care needs.
• Children are well prepared for their eventual move to school. Staff teach children to be independent, such as by learning to put their coat on and manage their personal hygiene. Staff provide opportunities for older children to participate in group activities, such as circle time. This helps them to learn how to sit with others in a group. Children demonstrate good listening skills and delight in activities that promote their understanding of story comprehension and language development well.
• Staff develop positive partnerships with parents. Parents are extremely happy about the support they continually receive from the friendly and caring staff. They value the regular communication between home and nursery.
• Staff ensure that the nursery is inclusive. For example, they seek and follow advice from professionals to support children with additional needs. They liaise with professionals, including from the local authority, to support and monitor children, should they be concerned. This gives children the appropriate support they need to enhance their learning and development effectively. Furthermore, the nursery has established good links with local primary schools. This enables pre-school children to have a smooth transition from nursery to school.
• Managers have high regard for staff well-being. They recognise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their team. Managers are supportive. They regularly meet with staff and ensure that they have access to support, if needed.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop all staff's knowledge and understanding of the curriculum intent to enable them to provide consistently effective teaching during activities, to further support children's learning and development
• build children's awareness of caring for themselves and others, and develop staff's recognition of when to offer children prompt support, to help them gain and embed more skills for the future.