Howley Grange Kindergarten

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are greeted with a warm welcome by staff as they arrive at nursery. Staff form loving and caring relationships with children. This helps children to settle quickly. Children show that they feel safe and secure and have a sense of belonging at the nursery. They are eager and excited to chat to staff and their friends. Children thrive in the well-resourced outdoor area. They show delight as they use their physical skills to shake musical instruments as staff sing songs and rhymes. Children move their bodies in different ways as they balance on beams, crawl through tunnels and jump in to hoops. Staff model language by using words such as 'jump' and 'balance'. They demonstrate the meaning of these words by showing children how to jump into the hoop.

Staff offer reassurance to less confident children by offering encouragement. They ask children if they would like some help and build their confidence by reassuring them that they can do something. Children's behaviour is good. Staff support children to understand their expectations by using strategies that have a positive impact on children's emotional well-being. Children learn to communicate their feelings through conversations with staff or by using pictures with different faces to represent their emotions. This helps children to understand and regulate their feelings so that they benefit from learning experiences.

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

• The dedicated manager and staff team work well together to provide an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum. The curriculum focuses on school readiness and staff have high expectations for every child, including those who may need additional support. This helps children to develop skills and knowledge to prepare them for the next stage in their learning.
• Staff provide children with a varied range of activities to support their learning. Staff continuously talk to children during activities, which helps them to understand their expectations. However, sometimes, the planning of adult-led activities does not consider children's differing abilities. This means that some children's learning is not challenged enough.
• Staff skilfully develop children's language skills. They make eye contact with babies as they sing songs and rhymes. Staff engage in conversations with children as they support them to zip up their coats. Staff use pictures to further support children's understanding, such as when they are going outside. Older children enthusiastically use their voices to recall words during story time. They repeat words from a story about a shark in a park. This helps to support children's early literacy skills.
• Staff provide opportunities to develop children's mathematical skills. At snack time, they count the number of cups and make comparisons about numbers.
• They talk about having more red cups than blue. This helps children to use mathematical language through everyday routines.
• Staff promote children's healthy lifestyles. They encourage children to notice the changes in their bodies. Staff talk about their bodies feeling warm because blood is moving around the body quickly when they exercise. They talk about the muscles in their arms and model how to stretch their bodies. Staff talk about healthy eating and the impact of food on their bodies.
• Parents build positive relationships with their child's key person. They report that staff provide them with regular information about their child's care, development and what they are learning next. Parents also access an information board, which was provided in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This helps to provide continuity in children's care and learning.
• Managers provide staff with effective supervision. Together, they share ideas about how to improve on their teaching, practice and learning. Managers and staff work together to create a culture of mutual support. Staff report high levels of support from managers and feel happy in their roles.
• Children show a positive attitude towards their learning. They are eager to participate in the learning opportunities that staff provide. Children demonstrate high levels of curiosity, concentration and engagement during different activities. They show respect for staff and follow instructions, which supports their personal, social and emotional development.
• Older children benefit from opportunities to help promote their independence. At lunchtime, they take turns to scoop rice on to their plates. However, this is not yet consistent for younger children. At times, staff intervene or do things for them before they try.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• refine the planning of adult-led activities so that they support children's differing abilities
• explore ways to consistently promote children's independence during routines and activities.