Green Dragon Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff welcome children warmly on arrival at the nursery. They know the children well and form strong attachments to them. This supports children to grow in confidence and feel supported. Staff help younger children to take off their coats on arrival. While older children independently remove their coats and hats and carefully place them on their peg. Staff are polite and interested in what the children have to say. Staff remind them to say please and thank you and encourage them to share. They provide a positive role model for the children, who are caring and thoughtful towards each other.

Staff create an interesting and varied environment for children to make choices about what they want to do. They are curious about the range of resources, particularly in the large, well-equipped outdoor area. Children are eager to explore and experiment with natural materials, climbing apparatus and imaginative outdoor dens.

Staff plan learning experiences that are interesting to the children. Staff know what individual children already know and what they need to learn next. For example, older children take turns to recall what happens in the story and add new words that they have learned, such as 'wallowing' and 'gigantic'.

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

• Staff engage children in conversation and model language well, which helps children to learn new vocabulary. Toddlers enjoy joining in with stories and songs. They are excited to name animals and make animal noises. Staff encourage children to make choices about the books they want staff to read and the songs they want to sing. Staff are animated and enthusiastic when they read to the children. Children learn to enjoy books and value words and language.
• Staff know the children well and are knowledgeable about child development. They implement a broad and balanced curriculum and provide activities based on children's interests. However, at times staff at the beginning of the activity do not offer children opportunities to consider what the activity is about and what they are going to do. Consequently, at times children do not gain all the learning opportunities available to them.
• Staff implement robust procedures to support children with allergies and medical conditions. For example, a colour-coded system is in place to help identify children with allergies. In addition, a designated member of staff is assigned to sit next to those children during mealtimes. This ensures children are protected and not exposed to risk.
• Parents say their children are happy and that they can see the progress they are making. Key persons share information about their children's progress and photos of their play via an online app. Parents attend events that support them to continue their children's learning at home. They say they feel very supported by the staff team.
• Staff encourage the children to make healthy choices at mealtimes by providing a healthy menu and snacks. Children self-serve and talk about why the apples at snack time are good for them. However, staff do not always support children in their self-care to reduce the spread of germs. For example, staff wipe older children's runny noses without supporting them to understand why and to independently do it for themselves.
• Leaders and staff establish effective partnerships with other agencies involved with children and their families. For instance, staff use information which has been shared by other professionals to plan for individual children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, this helps to close any gaps in children's development.
• Leaders and managers have sufficient overview of the nursery. However, systems for monitoring the quality of staff's knowledge are not securely embedded to raise the effectiveness of the staff to a further higher level. For example, training as part of staff professional development is completed, however, is not always embedded in staff's practise.
• Children enjoy a well organised and spacious natural outdoor environment to extend their physical development. They learn to share and negotiate with each other.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• enhance opportunities for children to develop their independence and self-care skills especially with the management of seasonal colds and coughs
• strengthen the monitoring of staff practice, so that gaps in staff's knowledge and understanding are promptly identified and addressed.