Frizington Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle quickly, are happy and flourish in this calm and nurturing environment. The manager and staff know the children exceptionally well. Children show that they feel safe, secure and settled. Children are confident and independent learners who become immersed in their play. This supports them to extend their knowledge and skills.

Staff are highly effective in identifying individual children's learning and development needs. There is a sharp focus on supporting children's speech and language development and social confidence. Staff identified that children were less confident in these areas after the COVID-19 pandemic. They put plans in place to work even more closely with families to support learning at home. Parents highly value the help, guidance and support they receive.

Children develop friendships with their peers and form strong attachments to the staff. Children develop an understanding of right and wrong from an early age. This is because staff speak calmly and gently to them and have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children share toys and resources very well. They enjoy trips to the library and the local area. Children take pleasure in the freedom they have at nursery to explore and play, both inside and outdoors. They enjoy the opportunity to run, play games and climb safely as they practise their developing physical skills. Babies smile, babble and clap their hands in celebration as they learn to crawl, walk and gain independence. Staff use their knowledge of what children already know and can do to plan a selection of sharply focused activities that enhance children's emerging knowledge and skills. As a result, all children make good progress. Children are well prepared when they eventually move on to the on-site nursery and school.

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

• Leaders and managers highly value their team. Staff feel listened to and share how they are supported to carry out and develop their practice, for example through thorough inductions, coaching, ongoing training and supervision meetings.
• Leaders and managers implement an ambitious, inclusive curriculum that is focused on what children know and what they need to learn next. For example, less confident children are given opportunities to join in with their favourite action songs. Outside, children demonstrate their growing vocabulary and confidence as they spontaneously sing songs and use their voices.
• Children develop good language skills. For example, they confidently describe patterns by saying 'spots and dots' as they play a sock matching game. Staff extend this further by introducing children to new words, such as 'polka dots'.
• This helps deepen children's understanding and builds on their already good vocabulary.
• Staff listen carefully to what children say and give them time to build up their understanding, respond to questions and have their turn in conversation. For example, some children use words, pictures and gesture when they are asked what song they would like to sing, or what fruit they would like at snack time. They show growing confidence and pleasure in communicating with others. As a result, all children, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make very good progress over a short period of time.
• Children are motivated, keen to join in and demonstrate positive attitudes. They behave well, are well mannered and staff have high expectations of them.
• Children are supported to develop a love of books. For example, children access the 'home lending library' and enjoy trips to the local library. However, the way in which some activities are presented and organised does not consistently encourage children to develop their listening and attention skills as fully as possible. For example, staff start activities before children are ready and do not ensure all children understand what is expected from them before the activity starts. As a result, children disengage and the intended learning focus is not achieved for these children.
• Children manage their personal hygiene needs appropriately for their age and have a good understanding of healthy routines as they practise washing their own hands, grow their independence in toileting and learn about the importance of maintaining their good oral health. For example, children are offered a range of healthy snacks, meals and drinks.
• Staff provide some opportunities for children to have a go and extend their independence at snack time. For example, children enjoy buttering their own crackers. However, at times, staff are too quick to do things for children that they are capable of doing for themselves, such as helping to set the table, pouring drinks and having a go at cutting up their own food or fruit at snack time. As a result, children, particularly older and most-able children, are not consistently given enough opportunity to continue to build on their pre-existing independence and self-help skills.
• Partnerships with parents are well established. They feel well informed and proudly talk about the progress their children are making across all areas of their learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• provide more consistent opportunities to support children's independence and self-help skills
• strengthen the organisation and sequencing of activities so that children are given time to prepare, focus and be ready to learn.