Highmore Hedgehogs Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive at the nursery happy, and they are met by members of the nurturing staff team. They take responsibility for their belongings such as lunch boxes. For example, children place their lunch boxes on the designated stand. Children excitedly greet staff with a cuddle. They behave well and play cooperatively together. Children benefit from an ambitious curriculum. They make independent choices about their play throughout the day. Children are eager to play and are motivated to learn.

Hygiene and care routines are good. Older children are independent and manage their self-care. They wash their hands at regular intervals throughout the day. Older children use their imagination as they play in the home corner. They work together to feed and dress the dolls. Children listen and follow staff's instructions as they play outside in the garden. They develop an understanding of space and measure as they fill and empty different-sized containers with sand and water. Children are beginning to learn how to keep themselves safe. Staff remind them that the sun is hot today and that they must keep their hats on. Young children develop strength in their bodies and upper arms. They stand tall at the easel to paint pictures. Older children skilfully build birdhouses from cardboard boxes. They talk to their friends about what they should use to stick the pieces together.

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

• Leaders strive to deliver high-quality care and education at all times. They work well together and are dedicated to their roles. Leaders meet with their experienced and retained staff team on a regular basis to discuss good practice and identify training needs. Staff attend online training around their interests to enhance their already good knowledge and skills. Staff morale is high. They state they are very happy in their roles. Staff comment on the high levels of support they receive from leaders for their welfare.
• Staff know the children in their care well. They plan a wide range of interesting play activities around their interests. Staff make regular assessments of what children know and can do and use this information to plan what they need to learn next. Children make good progress.
• Children develop early literacy skills. They find their name card to self-register and listen attentively to stories that are read by enthusiastic staff. Children excitedly join in with repeated phrases and rhymes. Staff use a tambourine to beat a rhythm. Children are keen to move their bodies to the beat. They join in with a song about different-coloured shoes.
• The key-persons system is, generally, good. Staff form secure bonds with their key children and members of their family. However, staff are yet to spend focused time with their key children to enhance their already good relationships and further support their learning as leaders are yet to find effective ways to fit this into the day.
• Partnerships with parents are well established. Staff seek a wide range of information from parents on induction. This includes details of children's prior learning. Staff use this information to plan activities to move children forward in their learning. They keep parents updated about their children's achievements. Staff add photos and assessments to children's online learning records. Parents share information of activities that children do at home. This supports a consistent and complementary approach to children's learning.
• The nursery has a healthy eating policy that is shared with parents on induction. Staff provide children with healthy snacks and, at lunch time, they remind children to eat their savoury foods before any sweet treats. However, staff do not always use these everyday routines to further support and enhance children's learning.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Any additional funding the nursery receives is used to support children's individual needs, such as for extra staffing and additional resources. Staff work in partnership with parents and a number of external agencies to ensure that children receive the help they need to make the best possible progress. Although staff seek some words from home to support children with English as an additional language understanding at nursery, they are yet to find effective ways to fully support children to communicate effectively their wants and needs to fully promote their emerging speech and language skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• build on opportunities for key persons to spend focused time with their key children to enhance their relationships and further support children's learning
• review the organisation of everyday routines to further support and enhance children's learning
• provide children with English as additional language even more opportunities to be able to communicate their wants and needs to fully promote their emerging speech and language skills.