Garden House Nursery School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and content at the nursery. They settle in with the help of their key person and form close bonds with them and other staff. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure at the nursery. They engage in a range of motivating activities and explore with all their senses. For example, they sense and discuss the smell of play dough, and explore the texture of the sand and safe foam. Some children taste the fruit, such as lemon, and recognise its sour and tangy taste. Children enjoy doing things for themselves, including managing some personal care. This shows they are developing independence. Children readily respond to staff's requests, such as when staff tell them to share or tidy up. They are kind and respectful of each other's differences.

Children are active and build on their physical skills. For example, when they are outdoors, they play with balls and ride tricycles. Children explore natural resources and have the opportunity to engage in gardening, watering and watching how the fruit and vegetables grow. They practise their early writing skills, including outdoors with a range of media, such as paint and water. Children are confident learners because staff have high expectations of them. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), develop secure foundations for their future learning.

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

• The new management team work well to support staff and improve the quality of teaching across the nursery. Staff feel valued and supported in their roles. They receive a range of training, including how to help children to regulate their behaviour. Children know what is expected of them and behave well.
• The management team continues to embed systems for reflecting on and improving practice, including through identifying staff's training needs. In addition, they encourage parents to share their views to make continuous improvements.
• Staff and managers recognise that the youngest children continue to take longer to settle following the COVID-19 pandemic. They skilfully adapt settling-in procedures to meet children's individual needs to help them feel emotionally secure.
• The management team and staff provide a well-balanced and interesting curriculum, which supports all areas of children's learning and development.
• Staff know children well. They use assessments effectively to consider gaps in children's knowledge and carefully plan for children's next steps. The management team and staff work closely with other professionals to provide appropriate support for individual children, including those with SEND.
• Staff focus well on promoting children's early language development. For example, through meaningful conversations, reading stories and singing rhymes. Children listen attentively when staff read the stories. They eagerly answer staff's questions and confidently name the animals in the book.
• Staff carefully arrange exciting learning environment outdoors. They plan a range of activities to help children express their comprehension, as well as imagination. For example, children play selling fruit and vegetables in their outdoor shop and ask buyers for pretend money.
• Children enjoy outdoor play and benefit from a balanced and nutritious diet throughout the day. This helps them naturally learn about the importance to support a good lifestyle.
• The management team and staff establish effective partnerships with parents. They regularly share relevant information about children's care and learning. This helps to provide consistency in children care, learning and development.
• Staff teach children about the importance of dental hygiene. They encourage children to wash their hands before mealtimes and after messy play. However, staff are not always proactive to support children's understanding of cleanliness and handwashing outdoors. For example, when children share and play outside with the real-life resources and taste fruit and vegetables.
• Staff plan activities to build on children's mathematical skills. However, they do not always consider the length of an activity when children of different abilities participate. As a result, some children become fidgety and lose focus.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen current hygiene practices, including outdoors to build on children's understanding of how to keep themselves healthy
• review the organisation of some group activities to sustain the interest and maximise learning and enjoyment for children of different stages of development.