Greenmount Foundations for Learning

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff provide experiences to enthuse children. These motivate them to learn key skills. Staff help babies to strengthen their finger muscles in interesting ways. These include, posting pegs into holes, scrunching flour between their fingers and sprinkling grains of rice onto a tray. Babies delight in seeing the marks they make. Two-year-old children engage in animated role play and pretend to be a vet. They tenderly take care of the stuffed toy animal as staff provide stethoscopes to assist their play. Older children express themselves articulately. They talk about how they are feeling and make 'faces' using dough, to indicate that they feel happy today. Overall, staff are helping children to develop the knowledge needed in readiness for the next stages in their development.

Staff develop strong relationships with the children they care for. As a result, children are settled, secure and exude confidence. Children separate from parents with ease when they are met at the door by smiling staff. Staff know children well and can guess exactly what they would like for breakfast.

The expectations for behaviour and conduct that staff have for children are high. In the main, children behave well as they have clear and consistent boundaries. Older children know to line up before coming back inside and help staff to count that everyone is present. Two-year-old children use lovely manners and tell staff 'no thank you' when they do not want snack today.

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

• Following a recent incident, the provider notified Ofsted as required. As a result of this significant event, the provider reviewed and improved risk assessment procedures. This included a focus on keeping children safe outdoors. Supervision has been stepped up, and staff deployment has been strengthened.
• Leaders have devised a curriculum that helps children to learn what they need to learn next. This means that, overall, children are prepared well for school. Older children converse with staff and their peers and articulate themselves beautifully. Children show their acquired knowledge and rich vocabulary as staff encourage them to discuss upcoming holidays and the properties of a volcano. However, staff working with younger children do not always provide them with enough time to think and respond to questions. At times, staff use incorrect pronunciation of words and sentence structure. This does not support younger children's communication and language development to the same level as that of older children.
• The quality of the environment supports children's independence. Resources are easily accessible. Babies explore and lead their own self-chosen play. Older children help with setting the table, serve themselves chilli-con-carne and rice and scrape their plates after eating. Children help themselves to drinking water and decide if they wish to play indoors or outside. Through the effective planning of the environment, children are inquisitive and keen.
• Children know what is coming next as staff give them cues to indicate a change in routine. Staff let children know how long they have left to play before tidy-up time. However, transition times are not always managed as well as possible for older children. For example, children wait in line for a long period of time to wash their hands and sit for quite a while before lunch is ready. After lunch, children wait again for staff to tidy up the room. During these times, children are disengaged. They are not playing or learning, and this leads to some minor unwanted behaviour.
• Partnership with parents is a strength in this nursery. Staff keep parents updated with what children are learning. Parents spoken to say their children are happy attending, and they praise the consistent staff who know their children well. Parents particularly value the effective sharing of information. Parents are also advised on ways to continue with learning at home. This provides consistency in supporting children's progress.
• Staff turnover is low. This is because staff feel valued and appreciated. Staff access an online training package but recently the support for staff has not been personalised to meet their individual needs. This has led to some inconsistencies in teaching and practice. However, the manager has a good awareness of the quality of the nursery and has plans in place to resume the targeted support for staff.
• Children's health is prioritised by staff. Children enjoy outings in the rural location and benefit from daily fresh air. They visit the local orchard and say 'hello' to the sheep in the field. Children participate in yoga and mindfulness activities that contribute towards their physical and emotional well-being. Staff teach children about healthy lifestyles and self-care, for example, through toothbrushing. However, staff working with two-year-old children have not considered their privacy when changing nappies in the main room.
• The special educational needs coordinator is assisted by other knowledgeable staff. There is a consistent approach to meeting the individual needs of children. Children receive personalised and targeted support, for example, to manage their feelings and behaviours. This provides them with what they need right now and supports them to make the progress they are capable of.
• Children who speak English as an additional language are very well supported. For example, staff ask parents to translate favourite stories so that children can hear their home language. Words are displayed, and staff ask parents to share foods, such as pastries, in celebration of different festivals. Staff ensure that children's home languages and cultures are valued in the nursery.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support staff working with younger children to promote their developing communication and language more effectively
• help staff to manage transition times so that older children do not wait unnecessarily and become disengaged from learning
• review personal care routines and give more consideration to children's privacy.