Girls & Boys Nursery & Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in the welcoming and nurturing environment staff create. Babies and children develop strong bonds with staff, who are patient, kind and caring in their approach. Staff give clear instructions and children know what is expected from them. Children behave extremely well. Older children develop high levels of emotional maturity. They recognise and respond to the differing needs of their friends with high levels of sensitivity. For instance, they notice when their friends need extra comfort and offer kind words, such as, 'Don't worry, Mummy will be back soon'. Children have adapted well to the changes implemented following the COVID-19 pandemic. For younger children, changes to settling-in routines have enabled babies and children who were more anxious about separating from parents to feel safe, secure and well cared for.

Staff have high expectations for all children and create enjoyable learning experiences for them. Children show good levels of curiosity and concentrate well. For instance, they try 'watermelon juice' as they cut up and scoop out watermelon flesh and carefully mix it with water. Children in receipt of additional funding and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress. Funding is used effectively to support children's personal, social and emotional development. Younger children develop good physical skills. For example, newly mobile babies develop confidence in crawling and pulling themselves up to stand.

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

• The managers are strong leaders. They work with a qualified staff team to ensure children's benefit from high-quality learning experiences. The focus on children's emotional well-being and security is evident in all that they do. Staff, including those with SEND responsibility, have good knowledge and understanding of how to work in partnership with parents and professionals, to meet the needs of children extremely well.
• Staff promote children's physical development. Opportunities for children to take part in active play are supported well. Children thoroughly enjoy riding along on tricycles as they navigate safely around their friends. Recent additions to resources in the garden have supported children to take age-appropriate risks. For instance, as children climb, staff supervise them closely and help them to think about where they can put their hands and feet to climb higher. Children gain good hand-to-eye coordination skills and are confident and capable in their physical abilities.
• Staff feel valued and respected and enjoy working at the nursery. The managers regularly observe staff to ensure that the quality of teaching is good. Training helps staff to continue to improve children's experiences. For instance, staff have used new skills to help promote children's mental health and well-being. The manager recognises the need for staff to embed knowledge of their key children, to enable them to focus more precisely on what they want to children to learn next.
• Children make good progress in their speaking and listening skills. Staff capture opportunities to introduce new language and support children's growing communication skills well. For example, staff name 'eggs' and 'milk' as babies explore new toys. Staff copy sounds babies make in response, to help develop their early speaking skills.
• Partnerships with parents are strong and contribute to the good progress children make. Parents feel well informed about children's learning and overall progress. They speak highly of the managers and staff, who provide helpful advice on issues such as potty training.
• Staff get to know children's individual personalities, likes and interests well. They tailor learning to the uniqueness of each child. Staff teaching is good and activities are created to engage and motivate children to learn. However, during some adult-led activities, staff do not focus consistently on the intended learning to help children achieve at the highest levels.
• The person who takes responsibility for supporting children with SEND is passionate and dedicated to her role. Where she identifies gaps in children's progress, she swiftly and diligently ensures plans are put in place to ensure children catch up quickly. She works very closely with other professionals, using regular conversations to keep her informed of how she can support children in the nursery. Where children are in receipt of additional funding, this is used for staff to provide the one-to-one support they need.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• embed staff knowledge of how to focus more precisely on what children need to learn next, to consistently help maximise their learning
• enhance the planning of adult-led activities to focus more precisely on the intended learning experiences for children.