Goodinge Early Years Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled at the nursery. Excellent settling-in procedures ensure they develop good relationships with staff. Children demonstrate that they feel safe and secure in the staff's care. Toddlers smile and confidently interact with visitors, while babies, with support from staff, explore the well-resourced environment. Children display their early creative skills as they dance along to musical instruments.

Leaders and managers have created a bright and engaging nursery environment that gives children the opportunity to explore and follow their own interests. They make choices about their play, moving freely between the inside and outside spaces. Staff get to know children very well and are highly responsive to children's interests and follow their lead well. Children have plenty of opportunities for fresh air and enjoy a range of activities in the extensive outdoor areas. This supports children who prefer to learn outside very well. Babies explore sensory activities, such as sand and water. Older children are eager to explore the garden and use large play equipment and wheeled vehicles. This helps to develop their large-muscle skills well.

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

• The nursery has a strong key-person system in place. This enables children to settle in quickly to the setting as they form strong bonds with staff. Children are confident and self-assured.
• Children's behaviour is good. Staff are quick to support children to express their own views and wants. Children form friendships and enjoy one another's company.
• Children are encouraged to be independent and understand the daily routines. For example, children hang up their painting aprons independently after use. However, at other times, staff are too quick to jump in and complete tasks for children that they are able to do for themselves.
• Leaders display a very strong commitment to providing good-quality experiences for all the children who attend the nursery. They form strong relationships with the staff team and have high expectations of what children can achieve. Leaders and managers are vigilant in identifying areas for improvement and provide staff with extensive training opportunities to enhance their knowledge and skills. They have a passion for the setting and are highly ambitious for all children.
• Staff ensure that the nursery is inclusive. For example, they seek and follow advice from professionals to support children's learning needs. They liaise with professionals, such as speech and language therapists, to support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This helps children to make good progress in their learning.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. They speak highly of the nursery and say that they are pleased with their children's progress. They emphasise the value of the excellent settling-in procedures and the strong key-person system.
• Leaders and managers implement an ambitious curriculum that enables all children to make the best possible progress they can, particularly those who are most disadvantaged. Well-resourced rooms enable children to have a wide range of experiences, which meet their learning needs well.
• Staff support children's language skills well. For example, while making play dough, staff name the ingredients and encourage babies to repeat words, such as 'salt' and 'flour'. Toddlers are encouraged to share their ideas and talk about what they see. Despite this, at times, staff do not ask questions to enable children to develop their communication skills to the highest standard.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to develop their questioning skills to encourage children to use their thinking skills and build on their imagination to make the best possible use of their language skills
• develop opportunities for children, especially toddlers, to carry out tasks independently.