Henbury Hill House Acorns

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Staff plan a broad and balanced range of experiences, which help children to make progress in their learning. Children make choices about their play and are eager to have a go. For example, young children confidently name wild animals. They show a good understanding of how the animals differ, for example a giraffe has a long neck and a rhinoceros has a horn. They identify when toy animals are in the wrong basket and keenly find where they go. Younger children show excitement as staff join magnetic shapes together for them to pull apart. They receive praise and encouragement when they have a go for themselves. Children hear new vocabulary as staff provide commentary to the shapes they have made.

Older children thoroughly enjoy their time exploring the nature garden, using their forestry skills. They show curiosity as they explore the ice, using a range of utensils to try and break the ice and to explore whether it floats or sinks. Children show excitement and pride in their achievements. They show interest in trying out new equipment, such as binoculars, as they search for birds. Staff question children well to help them recall their previous learning. This helps children remember how the wind blew their den away and they think of ways to prevent this happening again, such as using pegs.

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

• Managers have good oversight of the nursery and monitor the impact of the curriculum on children's progress successfully. They provide effective support and training, overall, to help staff embed new practices and develop their professional skills.
• Staff know their children well and what they want them to learn. They plan activities successfully to build on what children already know and to challenge them effectively. Staff keep parents well informed about their children's progress and encourage them to be involved in their children's learning. For example, staff share strategies to support children's behaviour, to enable continuity between home and the nursery.
• The knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator understands her role well and engages well with parents and other professionals to share information. She provides effective support for staff to help reduce gaps in children's learning successfully. Children are thoughtfully included and activities adapted to enable them to engage fully in their learning. For example, staff use sign language and 'then and now' boards to include children successfully in nursery activities.
• Children benefit from positive interactions from staff to enhance their learning experiences. For example, staff use opportunities that arise to help children solve problems and make decisions for themselves, such as finding more suitable footwear. However, on occasion, there are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. For example, staff do not maximise opportunities to extend mathematical ideas when toddlers play with plastic bricks.
• There is effective support for children to develop good communication and language skills. Babies enjoy regular songs, and staff provide ongoing commentary to their play, to build their vocabulary. Pre-school children listen attentively as they build an interactive space story together and contribute their ideas enthusiastically. Occasionally, staff do not consider noise levels and the impact of lunchtime routines on toddlers' learning, especially to support listening skills during stories.
• Staff supervise children well. They remind young children to hold the low-level banister as they descend the stairs and they show less-confident children how to come down on their bottoms. However, some staff do not consistently provide clear explanations to help children begin to understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, when children get their feet tangled in threading strings, staff do not explain the potential dangers of a cluttered floor.
• Children form strong bonds with familiar staff who know them well. Babies receive comfort and reassurance to help them settle. They are confident to approach new people visiting their room and they showed curiosity at the inspector's laptop. They thoroughly enjoy a game of peekaboo with staff, building a sense of self. There are good arrangements to support children as they move on to new rooms. To provide continuity and emotional security, a key person will join children in the new room.
• Babies' and younger toddlers' care needs are met well. There are lovely interactions during nappy changing, with staff responding to babies' babble and providing reassurance. Potty training is effective, with children happy to sit as staff read stories and engage them in discussions. Staff are fully aware of children's special dietary requirements and preferences. They successfully ensure that meals meet children's individual needs. Staff do not always encourage younger toddlers' independence, for example to have a go at blowing their own noses or using flannels to wipe their faces.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of transition times between rooms for older babies and toddlers, to enable them to remain engaged in their learning
• support children further to understand practices that keep them safe and healthy
• provide staff with further support to enable a consistently high quality of teaching throughout the nursery.