Hythe Bay

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children feel safe and happily explore the wide range of activities on offer. Their behaviour is good and appropriate for their age. For example, older children kindly assist their younger friends with filling containers in the water tray. They develop good manners and understand the importance of helping and sharing with their friends.

Babies are developing their small-muscle skills and forming strong relationships. They enjoy interacting with adults as they post the discs into the shape sorter. The toddlers explore their problem-solving skills. They use trial and error to fit the train track together. All children and babies confidently explore the environment, knowing that an adult is close by for a reassuring cuddle when needed.

The children are inquisitive about how plants grow. Staff make use of children's existing knowledge to encourage them to think about what seeds need to germinate. They plan gardening activities to provide children with first-hand experiences. For instance, children plant seeds in a bag with some wet pads, before placing them by the window to see what happens. Staff make effective use of activities to introduce mathematical language. For example, staff focus on counting with the children as they encourage them to work out how many seeds they have and how many more they need to make three.

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

• The staff provide children with an array of experiences to learn about their local community. They develop children's curiosity of the natural world and how to help protect the environment. For example, they go on walks to the canal and beach to explore the world around them. Staff teach children about how to look after the nursery's fish and stick insects. The children are very excited as they wait for the stick insect eggs to hatch. Staff effectively support children to learn about life cycles and how things grow.
• Partnerships with parents are good. The manager and staff have put in place very supportive settling-in procedures to ensure babies and children receive the comfort and support they need when starting at the nursery. This is mirrored in the highly effective procedures in place for children as they move from room to room and on to school. Parents comment on the wonderful care their children receive. They particularly value the packs that staff send home, which help to extend the learning taking place in the nursery.
• Overall, the staff make sure that the organisation of the environment is effective in promoting children's learning and enjoyment. Children in the main nursery enjoy looking at photographs around the room and seeing their work displayed. However, children attending the sessional nursery are not given the same level of ownership of their environment. As a result, they are not always able to gain the same sense of pride in their achievements.
• Staff provide all children with regular opportunities to explore outside to help develop their physical skills. They enjoy climbing, building their muscle strength, and take managed risks in their play. Children develop their awareness of the space around them as they ride their tricycles around the track.
• The manager is dedicated to developing and continually improving the nursery. She understands the importance of supporting staff through regular training opportunities as well as monitoring their well-being. For instance, staff who have completed training events cascade the information to colleagues during staff meetings. The manager and staff have high expectations for what children can achieve. However, there is a variation in the quality of teaching that children receive between the main and sessional areas of the nursery. For example, staff working with the sessional children do not always make effective use of activities to extend children's knowledge and skills.
• The manager has made good use of additional funding to help develop children's language skills. For instance, a specialist music teacher comes into the nursery to engage the children in small music groups. The qualified teacher runs regular focused groups to boost children's speech, language and communication. These help children to develop their social interactions and confidence.
• The special educational needs coordinator works closely with other professionals to help support any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. For instance, they make good use of pictorial timelines and 'now and next' boards to support children to learn about the daily routines.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review and improve the environment to ensure all children are able to take ownership of their surroundings
• continue to support staff to develop their practice to make sure children receive consistently high-quality interactions across all areas of the nursery.