Harton Village Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children's interests are fully embraced in this nursery. Staff take full account of their ideas and suggestions and use these to determine the activities that they will provide. This contributes directly to the remarkable levels of motivation and curiosity to learn that all children show. For example, children get very excited when moving in different ways through 'laser beams' made from string. Their consistent engagement in fun and exciting experiences supports the good progress that they make in their learning. The child-led curriculum helps them achieve well, overall. Leaders are aware that some children, following the restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, are slower to reach age-related expectations in their communication and language development.

Staff have high expectations and provide consistent routines and clear boundaries. These are understood well by children, who respond positively to staff's guidance and instructions and behave remarkably well. They take turns and cooperate well together. For instance, they 'hop like bunnies' when moving from the table to the carpet. They hold hands together in a circle, smiling while they jump together with friends.

Children are evidently very happy and at ease in nursery. They benefit from consistent praise and encouragement from kind and caring staff. They are eager to share their ideas with staff and seek them out to join in their play.

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

• Children show an avid interest in the natural world. They have plentiful opportunities to explore and investigate, and staff support this well. For example, they provide resources linked to children's interest in bugs. Children handle giant snails that are kept in nursery as pets. They observe birds in the garden and ask questions about where they live and what they eat. Children are highly inquisitive and keen to learn. They have positive attitudes to learning and concentrate well during activities.
• Staff weave learning into the exciting activities that they provide. However, there are some aspects of staff's knowledge of child development that are not consistently strong. Some staff are less confident in describing the key skills that they want children to develop. The learning intentions of some activities are, at times, broad and not focused on what children need to learn next. Staff know that some children need support to make better progress in their communication and language development. However, teaching is not consistently targeted well enough to help children to achieve as well as possible enough in this aspect of learning.
• Babies thrive in the care of attentive staff. They enjoy sensory activities that support their development well. They develop early mark-making skills when they trace their fingers and toy vehicles through paint. Staff support their self-help skills very well. They model how to use a spoon when pretending to feed a toy rabbit and encourage them to drink from an open cup. Babies become increasingly independent, ready for moving on to the next room.
• Leaders and managers have high expectations of staff and provide opportunities for them to build on their knowledge and skills. Managers monitor practice frequently and have an accurate overview of the provision. They have designed new training plans, intended to build on the teaching skills of members of staff who are new to their role, though these are yet to be embedded. The provider is deeply committed to supporting staff well-being. Staff report that they feel valued and supported.
• Following the COVID-19 pandemic, parents no longer routinely visit the rooms where their children are based. Instead, they are invited to events such as 'welcome meetings' and 'stay-and-play' sessions. Staff gather detailed information about children's needs and interests before they start to attend, and parents appreciate the in-depth information that they receive about their child's time in nursery. Parents are fully reassured that their children are safe and happy, and they feel very involved in nursery life. They praise the 'amazing staff' and would highly recommend the nursery to others.
• Staff prioritise children's health and well-being. They consistently teach them ways to keep themselves healthy, for example by washing their hands and cleaning their teeth. Children confidently tell adults that they must wash their hands after sneezing so that they do not spread germs. Children benefit from home-cooked, nutritious meals and snacks. They learn about the importance of exercise, for example, when they complete races in the garden and talk about how their heart beats faster.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen staff's knowledge of child development, so there is a deeper understanding of how to provide a progressive and sequenced curriculum, and that teaching consistently builds on children's current skills.