Gbnfc At Chinnbrook Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily, confidently separate from their parents and are keen to join their friends in their play. Children receive a warm welcome to the nursery from the kind and caring staff. This nurturing approach helps children, including new children, to feel at ease and settle in quickly. Children behave well. They listen carefully and follow instructions well. For example, children line up when it is time to go into the dining room for lunch. They are kind and considerate towards each other and happily share toys and resources.

Children show positive attitudes to their learning. Toddlers enjoy playing in the sand with their friends and show great delight while actively joining in with singing sessions. Pre-school children skilfully ride tricycles around the garden, negotiating a one-way system while pretending to stop at the petrol station to fill up with fuel. Staff have high expectations of all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff quickly recognise and respond to children who may require extra emotional support. They introduce a varied range of sensory experiences which help to calm and reassure children. All children are making good progress. This helps to prepare them for their future learning, including moving on to school.

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

• Improvements have been made since the last inspection. Managers and staff ensure the environment is safe for children. Staff manage children's behaviour well. They offer children age-appropriate reminders to help them understand what is expected of them. For example, they remind children to use their 'walking feet' when indoors, explaining to them that if they run, they could fall and hurt themselves. They use praise and encouragement to reward good behaviours.
• The quality of teaching is good. Staff know children well and use their knowledge of children to plan activities that they know children will enjoy. They base this around children's current interests and next steps in learning. However, on occasions, planned next steps for children's learning could be focused on more to help children make even better progress.
• Children readily take part in activities and experiences on offer. For example, they eagerly join in with music sessions. They use their chosen instrument to play along to the music at different speeds, giggling with delight as they do so. However, staff have not fully considered ways to fully support all children's concentration and engagement during group activities and transition times. This means that, at times, some children lose interest.
• Managers and staff ensure good support for children who have SEND is arranged at the earliest opportunity. Effective early assessments are used to help identify where children may need extra support. Good partnerships with other professionals help to ensure children receive the support they need. This helps them to make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills well. Staff engage children in frequent conversations and discussions. Children who speak English as an additional language make good progress in their speaking skills. Staff speak slowly and clearly, repeating words and using signs and gestures to aid understanding.
• Children's physical development is well promoted. They enjoy being physically active outdoors, where they have opportunities to ride tricycles, run and learn to balance carefully on the equipment. Children are supported to develop their independence. Older children confidently manage their own toileting needs. Younger children are given good support and encouragement to learn to progress from using nappies to using the toilet.
• Partnerships with parents are effective. Parents are regularly invited to attend various events at the nursery. Staff organise coffee mornings, parent's evenings and curriculum workshops. For example, parents join their children for a maths workshop where they are encouraged to hunt for different numbers in the garden. Staff share ideas with parents about how they can extend on this at home. Parents express their complete satisfaction with the nursery. They value the staff's advice and guidance and say that staff are 'fantastic'.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop ways to extend learning opportunities during some group activities and transition times, to enable all children to become engaged and involved
• build on the plans for children's next steps in learning to provide even more challenge to help them make the best possible progress in their development.