Heaton Nursery and Out of School Club

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children develop a range of skills and knowledge through good quality teaching and a stimulating environment. Babies happily explore their physical skills. They pull themselves to standing and as they become more stable, they climb on the equipment. They learn to throw balls and eagerly follow them as they roll across the room. Two-year-olds explore different craft activities. They use resources to stick and make masks. They explore using the paint at the easel as they make large marks. This helps them to develop early writing skills. Pre-school children love to listen to stories being read. They join in with discussions about what is happening and recall their favourite parts.

There is a nice calm atmosphere in the nursery. Staff are attentive to the needs of the children and younger children build secure relationships with their key person. Children behave well and they feel safe and happy there. They develop an understanding of the routines. For example, pre-school children understand that when the bell rings it is time to tidy the toys away. Staff working with children aged two years old consistently reinforce how children should behave. They give lots of guidance around sharing resources and all children learn to use 'kind hands'.

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

• The provider ensures that the needs of all children are met. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. She ensures that they can access the full curriculum at the nursery. Careful consideration is given to how any additional funding can be used for eligible children to promote their well-being and learning. For example, the provider has organised football training, so that children develop social skills and learn to cooperate with each other as part of a team.
• The provider and staff have a good knowledge of each child. They offer effective support as children play, so that they extend their learning and build upon what children already know. Children are prepared well for school.
• The provider carries out regular supervision meetings with staff. Along with the wider management team she monitors the quality of their practice. They discuss what is going well, whether anything could be done better and the progress that children are making. This means that any concerns about practice or children's development can be addressed quickly.
• The professional development of staff is given priority. Staff learn new information about practice. They bring this knowledge back to put into practice for the benefit of children. For example, they have received training on how to develop children's communication skills where it has been found that they need support. Staff use picture cards that help the children to understand what is being said.
• Staff have in-depth conversations with children about different foods and what are healthy foods, during children's activities. They discuss ice cream and that it is high in sugar. Children show their understanding by saying 'you need to eat healthy foods to keep you healthy. That carrots are a healthy food.'
• Staff encourage children's independence. For example, children in pre-school serve their own food at lunchtime. Staff discuss with children portion sizes and how much the child would like to eat. However, the organisation of how the food is provided for serving and how children access the bathroom before lunch, means that some children have to wait too long for their turn, instead of continuing their learning.
• Staff work hard to build strong parent partnerships. They communicate well with parents, so that they understand what their children are learning about at nursery. This helps parents to support children at home. Parents are very positive about the care their children receive.
• Staff support children's early mathematical skills successfully and it is part of everyday activities. For example, two-year-olds count how many balls they have made with play dough. Staff are observed to count with children at every opportunity. In pre-school, children talk about the sizes of things, such as whether a boy is big or little.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• improve the organisation of routine events in pre-school, so that children remain engaged at all times.