Flying Gulls Nursery Grade Ruan under 5s

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are cared for by the warm and dedicated staff at this nurturing nursery. Staff show a genuine interest in children and their families. They welcome them as they arrive and build positive relationships. They create a safe and secure environment where children thrive and display confidence. Children enter the nursery happily and rush excitedly to meet their friends and members of staff. Staff have high expectations for all children. They offer a curriculum that focuses on developing children's independence, such as learning to hang up their bags and belongings on arrival. Older children pour their own drinks and put on their coats before going outside. Younger children are supported to put on their shoes by themselves and select their own snacks. Children learn the rules of the nursery. They know what is expected of them and behave well. Staff praise and encourage children when they notice children following the rules independently, or when children respond positively to their gentle reminders. Staff carefully plan their curriculum to develop children's physical skills and offer opportunities for children to be active to build their strength. For example, staff encourage babies to climb and pull themselves up in preparation for standing and walking.

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

• Leaders work closely with staff, parents and other professionals to support children's learning and development needs. Staff access targeted training to ensure children's progress and development. For instance, staff have recently taken part in whole team training in the use of sign language to support emerging speech in younger children and for children with speech and language delays. Children are confident communicators. They consistently interact and have meaningful conversations with staff and each other.
• Overall, staff implement a relevant mathematical curriculum. For example, children learn about shapes, numbers and mathematical concepts such as 'big' and 'small'. However, staff do not consistently develop children's understanding of how to count accurately nor encourage children to practise their skills. For example, staff do not routinely support children when they count incorrectly. On other occasions, staff show children three fingers when talking about the number three but do not encourage children try this for themselves to further their mathematical knowledge.
• Children enjoy a wide range of experiences that supports their health. They play outside in the fresh air daily and regularly take walks in the local community. Children learn about which foods benefit the body and why. The staff understand the importance of supporting children to build healthy habits. For instance, they have a focus on daily tooth brushing to further enhance children's oral health.
• Staff teach children the words to describe their feelings. They use props effectively to support children's emotional development. For example, during group time, children begin to associate colours with feelings, such as 'red' for 'unhappy'. Staff encourage children to talk about how they are feeling and why. Children recognise and comment on how other people are feeling and they are very thoughtful and caring towards one another. They manage their own feelings well.
• Children enjoy adult-led group times as part of their daily routine to support their listening and attention skills. They learn about the days of the week, months of the year and staff sing a welcome song to each child. However, occasionally staff do not plan these well enough to meet the needs of all children, particularly when babies join the older children. At these times, younger children spend long periods sat down and they lose focus. Staff do not ensure that all children are consistently engaged in purposeful learning.
• Staff focus well on children's language development. They introduce new words while reading books and during activities. For instance, children use words such as 'illustrator', 'blurb' and 'author' when describing books. Staff encourage children to extend their sentences and practise explaining their thoughts. For instance, staff ask children to explain how they are going to join two items together and describe why they think that will work.
• Staff encourage parents to be actively involved in their child's learning. Staff provide leaflets and advice on aspects such as weaning, potty training and the use of dummies. They also encourage parents to read with their child and support them to use similar techniques to the setting to develop children's skills, such as questioning children about what is happening in the story. Staff talk to parents daily and provide information on an electronic app about children's care and development. They regularly share next steps in learning and parents feel well-informed about their child's progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the support given to children so they develop a better understanding of number and enhance their counting skills
• organise whole group times more effectively to ensure all children remain engaged in purposeful learning.