Georgie Porgies Nursery Limited

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The motto of 'giving children the best start for their future' is what makes this nursery so special. Children cannot contain their excitement as they arrive at this vibrant nursery. Their singing fills the air and they are eager to play with their friends. Some routines are slightly different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, extra hygiene measures are in place and children are taught about the importance of washing their hands. Everywhere you look, children are engaged and motivated to learn. They show positive attitudes towards their learning and behave well. Children relish opportunities to welcome visitors to their nursery. Older children tell the inspector that they 'love to come to the nursery'.

Children have a strong sense of belonging and settle well. They embrace staff with hugs, and beam with delight when they see their key person. Babies enjoy exploring paint. They show excellent levels of perseverance while learning how to operate electronic toys. Toddlers enjoy exploring toy boats in water. They fascinate while talking about what they might see in the woodland. Pre-school children discuss caring for the pet fish and excitedly talk about a recent visit to the local ice-cream van. Children develop good levels of independence. They feed themselves, help to tidy toys away, and are well prepared for their move on to school.

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

• The dedicated manager exhibits strong leadership skills. She leads the nursery with passion and determination, and wants the very best for all children. She is ably supported by an experienced senior leadership team who all share the same vision. Self-evaluation is accurate and includes the views of parents, staff and children. Improvement plans are ambitious and are monitored with rigour.
• Overall, children receive an ambitious and well-thought-out curriculum, which builds on what they already know and can do. That said, some staff are less confident in understanding what leaders intend them to teach children. For example, some staff introduce children to sea creatures, such as jelly fish. However, some staff are unsure about how to answer the questions that children ask, and are not clear about what to teach them next. This means that some activities are not always pitched at the right level and do not always extend children's learning.
• Leaders give staff well-being high priority. They provide staff with support, guidance and coaching during supervision sessions and appraisal meetings. Staff comment that working at the nursery is like 'being part of one big family'.
• Care practices are good. Staff spend time getting to know children and their families during the settling-in process. Children are confident and self-assured. They are keen to try new things and do not give up until a task is complete.
• The support in place for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is excellent. Intervention plans are monitored with precision, and links with external professionals are robust. Gaps in learning close quickly and children with SEND make good progress.
• In the main, staff support children's communication and language skills well. They listen to them with interest and introduce new words. However, on occasion, staff do not always use the correct vocabulary when talking to children, and do not provide them with sufficient time to respond to questions.
• Leaders identify that they would like to strengthen children's understanding of the world that they live in. They want to teach children about differences and similarities beyond their own experiences. For example, they want to further develop children's understanding of different cultures, families and celebrations.
• Partnership working is strong. Links with parents, schools and external professionals are secure. Parents commend staff on their caring nature. Typical comments include, 'I could not have chosen a better place for my child'.
• Leaders use additional funding well. They provide learning opportunities for children that they would not usually experience. These include Spanish and yoga lessons. Children enjoy these activities and freely talk about them.
• Staff provide children with good opportunities to be physically active. Toddlers enjoy climbing and balancing outdoors. Older children learn how to use a slide, and babies pull themselves up on to low-level apparatus.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff to better understand what leaders intend them to teach children
• strengthen children's communication and language skills, by supporting staff to use the correct vocabulary and provide children more time to respond to questions
• refine the curriculum to support children to learn about similarities and differences beyond their own experiences.