Flying Start Nursery and Preschool

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children confidently arrive at the nursery and are eager to begin their day. They greet the kind and nurturing staff with a smile and a cuddle. This demonstrates that they feel safe and secure. Children benefit from a broad curriculum. Staff know children's personalities and carefully consider children's individual interests and learning needs when planning activities. Children are curious and eager to explore the wide range of activities on offer. Babies share warm interactions with staff, who provide them with lots of praise and encouragement. They listen to staff singing songs and rhymes. Babies move their bodies and anticipate the next words. For example, they excitedly clap their hands and join in with the words 'bubble, bubble…pop!'.

Young children enjoy the time they spend in the outdoor area. They develop their physical skills as they carefully fill containers with sand and pour it back into the tray. Children behave well. They respond to staff's expectations and learn to share and take turns with their friends. Children are learning to identify different feelings and emotions. They are supported to share how they feel, even if they do not yet have the vocabulary. For example, children are able to look and select pictures of different emotions on staff's lanyards to show how they feel.

Older children develop skills in readiness for school. They are thoroughly engaged during group activities and are confident to share their thoughts and opinions. For example, as staff tell a story, children eagerly share their ideas about characters and their names.

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

• The owner and manager work closely together to reflect on the service they provide. They have an ambitious vision for the setting. The manager has recently introduced a suggestions box to seek parents' views on how the setting can be improved. The manager regularly meets with staff to discuss areas for development and identify training needs. However, the programme for professional development is not sharply focused to help individual staff improve specific knowledge and skills to drive the quality of teaching to the highest level.
• Staff ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the early help and support they need. They work closely with parents and health professionals to create individual support plans to help close gaps in children's learning. Children with SEND have strong relationships with their key person. They benefit from targeted support which helps them to make the best possible progress.
• The setting provides children with a range of healthy meals and snacks. The on-site chef thoughtfully creates a weekly menu, taking into consideration children's dietary requirements. Children display good table manners at mealtimes. They sit with their friends and learn to serve food for themselves. Children develop good hand-to-eye coordination. They carefully scoop fruit onto their plate and learn to spread butter onto a rice cake.
• Children build essential knowledge of their local community. Staff organise walks for the children to the nearby town. They visit places of interest, such as the market, church and library. However, staff have not fully considered further ways to enhance children's knowledge of different people and families beyond their immediate experience, to help challenge stereotypes and understand what makes them unique.
• The manager ensures additional funding received is allocated appropriately to benefit individual children. For example, she offers children flexible and extended sessions and purchases further resources to support their interests, such as role play resources to enhance children's imaginative skills.
• Children who speak English as an additional language achieve well. Staff gather information from parents, such as key words in their home language, to support children in their understanding of English. The setting provides books in different languages to enable children to look at written words in their home language. Children soon learn English vocabulary and become fluent communicators.
• Managers and staff form strong partnerships with parents. They seek a wealth of information when children first attend about children's interests and routines at home so they can support these in the setting. Parents feel fully involved in their children's learning due to the open communication methods in place. They comment on the 'invaluable support and advice' and how much their children love the time they spend at their 'second home'.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to embed and refine the programme of professional development, to raise the quality of teaching to a consistently high level
• provide children with further resources and experiences to enhance their knowledge of different people and families beyond their immediate experience.