Hessle Pre-School Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children have opportunities to engage in community activities and learn about where they live. The nursery has excellent relationships with neighbouring care homes, which enable children to interact with older generations. They enjoy community walks and learn about the roles of those who help us. This contributes to their feeling of belonging and understanding of the wider world.

Children are extremely happy in the setting. A strong key-worker system ensures that children's individual needs are met. An individualised settling-in system ensures children's needs are responded to and reassurance is given where needed by the kind, nurturing staff.

Staff have a clear understanding of the curriculum they provide. They know the foundations and skills all children need to build on to progress in their development. They ensure children are sufficiently skilled to help them build their confidence ready for the next steps in their learning. Staff closely follow children's responses to their activities and introduce further learning through related activities. For example, they go on a pumpkin hunt, following a pumpkin storybook.

Children behave very well. They use good manners and model staff's positive interactions. Staff help children to manage any minor conflicts using explanations and positive reinforcements. The wealth of exciting resources and activities ensure that children are engaged and occupied, contributing to good behaviour.

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

• Staff use effective methods to track children's development. They know children's starting points based on baseline assessments completed in the setting. They use their knowledge of the children to plan the next steps in their learning and adapt activities accordingly. For example, they recognise when children show signs of embedded learning. They provide jigsaws to encourage perseverance and challenge their thinking further.
• Children are used to choosing and independently looking at books. Even very young children handle books, turning the pages and pointing to the pictures. They enjoy showing others their books as they develop their early literacy skills. Staff support children further to develop a love of books through their book-sharing scheme and visits to the local library.
• Staff promote children's language development by entering into ongoing conversations as children play. They effectively use repetition to enable children to practice making sounds and embed new words. Younger children hear 'dip', 'blow' and 'pop' as they join in with bubble blowing. Staff engage older children in discussions, making connections to their home life. Children are confident communicators, leading the conversations and asking questions.
• Staff help children to manage their feelings and emotions and be kind to their friends. The respectful interactions by staff are mirrored in children's responses to their friends. They lovingly wipe the sand from their friends and give reassuring hugs.
• Children learn about being healthy as staff support them to keep their noses clean. Staff encourage handwashing after outdoor play and before eating. They help children to understand about good oral hygiene as they introduce activities to show how to keep teeth healthy. However, staff do not enter into natural conversations about the food children are eating. They do not routinely talk about the benefits of healthy eating and what is good for growing bodies.
• Staff work closely with schools to help children to be ready for their next transition. They invite teachers into the setting, gaining an understanding of the skills children need. They know that children need to have basic number and phonics understanding, in addition to developing their independence skills. However, staff do not always enable children to attempt tasks for themselves. For example, children do not have opportunities to try putting on their own aprons or attempt to wash their hands and faces themselves after lunch.
• Management work hard to ensure staff are supported to participate in training that is beneficial to their role. They seek feedback from staff in the building of the curriculum and ensure they are fully consulted about the children they are responsible for. Staff express that they feel valued and supported by the management team.
• Parents value the support given to children to ensure their individual needs are fully met. Staff place a high value on working in partnership with parents and have introduced a parent engagement group to seek further feedback and consult parents about the running of the nursery. This contributes to a constant two-way flow of communication, and parents feel involved in their children's learning.
• Staff demonstrate excellent partnerships working with others involved in the children's care. For example, they enable an array of professionals to attend the setting to support children with additional needs. They act on individual plans to ensure children can achieve and progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help children to develop their independence skills further, such as by managing tasks for themselves
• promote children's understanding of healthy eating to improve their knowledge and develop healthy habits.