Foundation Years Nurseries Debdale Park

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly and are happy at this welcoming nursery setting. They especially love the nursery's outdoor area, which offers exciting opportunities to run and explore. Staff encourage children to have a go. For example, staff gently support children going up and down the hill in the outdoor area. This helps children to develop confidence in their physical skills. Outside, pre-school children demonstrate their physical skills as they use resources safely. For example, children cut sticks with pruning shears to make necklaces out of wood.

Leaders have worked hard to construct a curriculum that heavily focuses on children's social and emotional skills. All children make progress under the care of the provider around their emotional development, especially those from a disadvantaged background. Staff are excellent role models for children. They use emotion puppets to support children's understanding of emotions. Children can articulate their feelings. For example, children who were struggling with their emotion regulation in the past now say if they feel 'happy' or 'sad'. Furthermore, children visit the well-being garden with staff to regulate their emotions. This supports children's well-being and sense of self. It also provides a secure platform from which children can achieve at school and in later life.

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

• Leaders and staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and attitude. Staff use lanyards consistently to remind children about their listening and waiting skills. This supports children's behaviour and is reflected in their positive interactions with staff and their friends.
• Practitioners present information clearly to children. This enables them to hear and develop their own language and vocabulary well. Staff use the word 'prediction' to extend children's vocabulary. Pre-school children enjoy sitting in a small group with their peers. They extend their early communication skills as they engage in meaningful conversations. Children can say what makes them different. For example, children discuss whether they are a boy or a girl. They talk about the colour of their hair or the different languages they speak. This supports children to take pride in conversations and makes them feel proud of who they are.
• Leaders and staff work closely with parents to ensure that children benefit from nutritious packed lunches. They hold conversations with them about healthy choices and discover together the exciting world of orienteering, where they navigate around the park. This supports children and families to lead a healthy lifestyle. Staff support children to make healthy choices. Children can pick fruit from the nursery garden to enjoy for their breakfast or afternoon snack. The nursery nurtures an ecological ethos that underpins everything they do. They promote a zero-waste approach, which helps to educate children about the importance of sustainability.
• Independence is a big part of the nursery's curriculum. All children are supported to scrape their bowl and wipe their own face by looking at a mirror after they finish their breakfast. Children are encouraged to put their own coats and boots on before they go in the outdoor area. Children show pride in their achievements and are developing essential skills in readiness for school through these daily routines.
• Children are happy and content. They carefully and independently choose resources that stimulate their interests, such as books. Children enjoy working together to make lemon and lime juice. Staff support children to participate in activities. However, some activities are not appropriately matched to children's age and stage of development. As a result, the curriculum is not always coherently planned, and children's next steps are not consistently supported. This limits the progression of some children's learning over time.
• Staff are supported well to improve their knowledge. They have access to training opportunities to support their continued professional development. For example, staff have attended specific training to support children's communication and language skills. However, leaders do not always evaluate the impact of the training to ensure staff fully understand and consistently implement the curriculum.
• Parents are very positive in their feedback and praise the leadership and staff team. Parents feel that their suggestions are taken on board and that leaders respond well to any concerns. Parents comment that they are 'happy' and that they 'couldn't recommend this nursery more'. They appreciate the support that staff provide around milestones such as children's toilet training.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure that all staff understand how to implement the curriculum and support children's learning consistently
• refine the existing systems to evaluate the impact of training to support children's development and their continued progress even further.