Guildhall Feoffment Preschool And Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff support children's sense of belonging and provide children with highly nurturing interactions. This helps children to form reassuring attachments with staff and settle easily on arrival. Staff have high expectations for children. They identify children's individual learning preferences and understand what they want children to learn from the array of activities they provide. Children are eager to delve into their play and have good opportunities to build on what they know and can do.

There is a strong focus on the use of books to deliver the curriculum, with each room offering a carefully selected range of stories and inviting spaces for early reading. Babies frequently seek out their key person to join them in the cosy corner to share their favourite book about animals. Staff lead story sessions that are engaging and exciting for pre-school children. They encourage children to recall what they know about familiar stories and skilfully revisit key vocabulary. This helps children to develop strong listening skills and become confident communicators.

Staff consistently promote children's good behaviour. They remind children of clear expectations, such as sitting sensibly at mealtimes. Staff sensitively support children to manage minor disagreements with their friends, encouraging them to respect each other's point of view. This approach fosters an environment where children feel safe and valued.

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

• The management team and staff create a welcoming and inclusive nursery for all that attend. The whole team uses Makaton to enhance children's communication and incorporates this into the curriculum for all to learn. This is particularly supportive for babies and children with speech delay, as they use Makaton to communicate their ideas and choices.
• Staff ensure children have daily opportunities to be active and enhance their physical skills. For example, they lead a fun penalty shootout challenge that helps children to develop their coordination. Younger children enjoy engaging in well-supervised risky-play activities. They confidently climb up onto the rope swing, explaining that they must hold on tightly to stop themselves from falling off.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Staff work closely with parents and other professionals to develop new interventions that are targeted to meet individual children's needs. Additional funding is put to effective use to support children's individual learning priorities. Consequently, all children make good progress in all areas of learning.
• Staff create an environment that promotes children's independence. Their approach is centred around providing opportunities for children to develop their self-confidence, decision-making skills and a sense of responsibility. For example, toddlers learn to put on their own coats before going outside, and pre-school children become adept at serving food, pouring drinks and clearing their plates during mealtimes.
• Staff are attentive to children's care routines. They make sure that children are afforded privacy and respect during nappy changing and they know how to comfort babies when they are settling to sleep. Children enjoy a varied menu of freshly prepared meals. This is precisely planned to take account of children's individual dietary needs, preferences and any allergies they may have.
• Partnerships with parents are positive. Staff keep parents updated about their child's daily needs and progress. This helps to provide good continuity for children and a settled transition from home to nursery. Parents report that they truly appreciate the genuine care and support staff provide for them and their children, particularly through emotionally difficult times in their lives.
• There are robust systems in place for the recruitment of staff to ensure that they are suitable to work with children. Staff benefit from regular supervision meetings. This provides purposeful opportunities for staff to raise any concerns about their work and the children they care for.
• The newly formed management team spends time in the rooms, monitoring the quality of interactions and modelling effective teaching. It has high aspirations for the future of the nursery, including plans for more in-depth coaching and mentoring for staff. However, these arrangements are not yet fully embedded to help provide children with education experiences that are of the highest quality.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen the individual support, mentoring and coaching for all staff to further enhance their practice so children make the best possible progress in their learning.