Helena's Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff develop lovely relationships with children and understand their individual needs well. They get to know new children well and offer an abundance of care and reassurance. This helps children to feel happy and emotionally secure. Staff teach children about the rules and boundaries at nursery and model good manners. Children instinctively respond with 'you are welcome' when staff thank them. They demonstrate kind and friendly behaviour, sharing resources and taking turns with their friends. Staff teach children how to listen to one another when there is conflict and help them to explain their feelings. Children behave well and are beginning to recognise how their behaviour affects their friends.

Overall, staff provide children with an ambitious curriculum and a wide range of opportunities to explore. They offer forest school activities, where children engage with nature and wildlife. Literacy development is particularly well promoted. Younger children explore textured books and hear staff use descriptive words, such as 'soft' and 'rough'. They learn new vocabulary, while staff talk to them about familiar stories. Older children bring their 'Book of the Month' to life by making props and role-playing different scenes. Children show excellent recall and comprehension. They are developing essential skills and knowledge in preparation for school.

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

• Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the setting. They say their children are well cared for and leave prepared for school. They report that their children make excellent progress in confidence and independence. Communication with parents is effective. Staff use an online app to share snapshots of children's learning, provide daily updates and encourage parents to share information about their children's interests at home.
• The environment provides excellent opportunities for children to develop their physical skills. Children are active, show high levels of concentration and enjoy taking safe risks, such as running, climbing and negotiating uneven terrain. This builds their balance and coordination. Staff introduce resources to meet individual needs, including activities, like throwing and catching a large soft ball. Children also strengthen their gross motor skills by carrying logs and using watering cans in the garden.
• Staff support children to develop their independence. Children learn how to dress themselves and put on their own boots and waterproof suits so they can embrace all learning experiences outdoors. In addition, children wash their own hands and serve their own meals. Children develop a range of important skills that they will need for the future.
• There are very good arrangements in place to support children's health. They are offered nutritious snacks and meals and take part in activities that help them learn about healthy eating. Staff also promote oral health effectively, encouraging children to understand the importance of caring for their teeth. In addition, routines to support good personal hygiene habits are well established.
• Leaders build strong partnerships with other professionals involved in children's education. They work closely with many of the schools children will attend. This creates clear channels to share information about children's progress and development. Children benefit from this shared approach to their learning and preparation for school.
• Staff support children's communication and language skills effectively. They use songs and rhymes to enhance children's growing vocabulary. Staff also ask older children open-ended questions and introduce unfamiliar words, ensuring that they understand their meaning.
• Leaders consider children's prior learning and experiences when planning their curriculum. They know how to adapt the curriculum to further support the most-able children and those who need additional support. However, the implementation of the curriculum is less consistent for younger children than it is for older children. This means that, at times, younger children are not fully supported to extend their skills, which hinders their engagement and attitude to learning.
• Leaders care about the well-being of staff, children and families using the nursery. Staff receive regular supervision and have access to ongoing training. They also attend team meetings to share ideas for improvement. Leaders model high-quality teaching practice. However, there are inconsistencies in staff interactions with younger children. This limits children's progress and prevents the quality of education from reaching the highest level.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staffs understanding of the curriculum intentions and how to implement them more consistently with younger children
• strengthen existing performance management processes to ensure consistently high-quality teaching across the staff team and raise the overall quality of education for all children.