Green Gables

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happy and eager to start their day at this welcoming and inclusive nursery. Staff show genuine delight as they greet children and parents on arrival. Children settle easily and are visibly happy. The curriculum is ambitious, supporting all children to achieve success and make good progress from their starting points. Children's special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly, and appropriate support is provided. Staff respond well to babies' needs and encourage toddlers to become independent thinkers. They support children's emotional well-being effectively, helping them feel secure and motivated to learn. Children are well behaved. They listen and respond to staff instructions and treat each other with kindness and respect.

Babies are encouraged to explore the world around them and are gently guided by staff to engage in a variety of activities. For example, babies learn about different facial expressions, supported by the book of the moment and rhyme of the moment. Staff prepare older children for their transition to school through an eight-week programme. For example, children learn where and how to travel to their school, and develop higher-level numeracy and literacy skills. All children freely explore both indoor and outdoor environments. Staff provide extensive outdoor learning experiences. For example, children ride bikes, move freely, run, jump and climb, all of which support their curiosity and physical development.

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

• Staff show a genuine interest in babies. They sit with them and interact warmly. However, at times, they do not consistently use these moments to further develop babies' attention spans at a higher level. For example, opportunities are missed to say babies' names during interactions and to describe what the babies are doing.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents speak highly of the staff and are very pleased with the relationships staff have built with their children. They receive regular updates about their child's progress and next steps in learning. Staff also provide parents with ideas to further support their child's learning at home. All of which helps support children to settle and develop their learning further.
• Staff work effectively with external agencies to identify and provide appropriate support for children with additional needs. For example, they complete individual support plans and gather detailed observations of children's learning to assist other professionals in evaluating and offering targeted support. Staff also develop tailored ideas and strategies to support children within the nursery, all of which helps children to catch up and prepare successfully for school.
• Leaders use additional funding effectively to purchase resources that help support children's individual interests and extend their learning. These include items such as books, story sacks, puppets, jigsaw puzzles, visual aids and peg boards. All children benefit from these resources.
• Leaders support staff to improve their practice in order to better support children. For example, staff are offered regular supervision meetings and access to training packages both within the organisation and through external providers. Leaders know their staff well and ensure that any training is tailored to meet individual needs.
• Staff offer children rich cultural experiences beyond what they already know. For example, children learn nursery rhymes in Mandarin. Staff play the keyboard to help children learn the tunes and adapt the songs in both English and Mandarin. This approach helps support children's understanding by pairing traditional English rhymes with Chinese language, helping them to learn both languages together.
• Staff offer children healthy meals in line with national guidelines and standards, supporting their understanding of healthy lifestyles. Children enjoy observing how food is prepared in the kitchen through the hatch in the pre-school room. This provides valuable learning experiences about how food is cooked and helps build familiar, positive relationships with those who prepare their meals.
• Staff encourage children to be independent. For example, children are supported with toilet training according to their individual abilities. They choose their own play and make independent choices. Children attend to their personal care with gentle support from staff, which helps prepare them for their eventual move to school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• further support staff to help younger children to develop their understanding and build on their attention skills, for example regularly use children's names and say what they are doing.