Fledglings Nursery & Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders and staff work hard to create interesting indoor and outdoor learning experiences for children. Strong transition processes support children to settle well in their environments and engage deeply in a wealth of exciting play opportunities. Nurturing key staff spend considerable time with children in their new rooms, familiarising them with their new routines. As a result, children are happy in their nursery and pre-school and make good progress from their starting points.

Children show high levels of curiosity in their play. Staff embrace this as an opportunity to extend children's learning. Toddlers hunt for eggs, delighting at exploring the objects hidden inside. Staff promote children's language development, encouraging them to discuss their discoveries. Older children plant seeds in the garden. They understand how they must water them and place them in the sun and keenly anticipate what vegetables they may grow into.

Children of all ages behave well, are kind to others and play cooperatively. Staff embed this understanding of appropriate behaviours from an early age. They encourage babies to pass toys around to their friends and remind them to use their 'gentle hands'. During daily group sessions, staff establish clear boundaries where older children confidently discuss the importance of taking turns and using 'kind words'.

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

• Since the previous inspection, the provider has shared essential information with Ofsted regarding directors. This has allowed appropriate suitability checks to be completed on all individuals connected with the registration.
• Children of all ages are encouraged to complete tasks independently. Babies are learning to feed themselves and hold cups with minimal support. Older children confidently put their coats and shoes on when playing outdoors. Staff support children to manage hygiene processes, including wiping their nose, independently. Children access specific 'hygiene stations' that have been set up with mirrors, tissues and dustbins to aid them.
• Leaders skilfully evaluate the care they provide. They are committed to adapting practice to meet the needs of the current cohort of children. For example, leaders have greatly enhanced settling-in processes within the baby room. They understand the importance of this to staff and children given the sudden increase of this age group attending.
• Parents play an active role in children's learning. Staff adopt exciting strategies that enable parents to further support children's development at home. They provide children with craft activities to complete with families, such as creating Easter bonnets and carving pumpkins. Children are proud to show off their efforts to their friends during group discussions. Feedback from parents is positive and highlights the close relationships children develop with the nurturing staff. Parents acknowledge how this supports children to settle well and enjoy their time at the nursery and pre-school.
• Leaders monitor staff's practice closely. They provide staff with training opportunities that enhance the care and teaching they provide. However, methods of ongoing coaching and mentoring are not yet sufficient in enabling staff to maintain an exceptional standard of practice across all areas of the setting.
• Mealtimes are sociable occasions that prepare children well for their next stage of learning. Toddlers are learning to use appropriate cutlery and pour their own drinks with support from staff. Pre-school children collect their meals and carefully take them to their tables. This prepares them well for the routines they will be required to follow at school.
• Developing children's communication and language skills is generally well promoted in the nursery and pre-school. Staff working with babies expose them to a wealth of new language during play. They talk about their routines and environment and initiate song sessions during play. Babies are beginning to respond to this by joining in songs and repeating key words. This same high-quality teaching is not always observed during play in the toddler area, where staff's interactions with children are inconsistent. Nevertheless, all children are confident communicators, with pre-school children in particular demonstrating a sophisticated vocabulary.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop effective coaching strategies that support staff to identify areas to improve their practice and raise the quality of their teaching to a consistently high standard across all areas of the setting
• continue to develop effective methods of promoting children's communication skills by providing toddlers with consistent opportunities to engage in meaningful discussions with staff during play.