Jack & Jills Childcare Goosewell

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and eager to attend the nursery; they settle quickly on arrival. The well-established staff team is friendly and welcoming. The staff have a lovely and considerate relationship with the children. They have a clear vision of what they would like the children to learn, and this supports children to be ready for school. Children have access to a variety of toys and activities. They are currently learning about minibeasts and participate in a bug hunt. They find different plastic creatures in the soil and look at them using magnifying glasses.

The children enjoy access to a secure garden area at different times throughout the day. They confidently put on their wellington boots and coats to have fun playing in the rain. The outdoor area has a section for planting and staff use this to support children to learn about growing vegetables and healthy eating. Children can make choices for themselves over what they would like for lunch. However, the options could be improved to support children eating more healthier. The children are well behaved. There are clear rules within the nursery that the children are encouraged to follow. Children have strong friendships. They comfortably chat to each other and use the home corner to develop their role play.

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

• The manager and staff have a clear intent for what they want children to learn. They focus on children being ready for their next stage of going to school. The strong key-person system enables staff to know the children well. This supports staff to set next steps and ensure children make progress.
• Staff use targeted plans and resources for children undergoing assessment for special educational needs and/or disabilities, to ensure they make significant progress.
• Children learn about the natural world. For example, they have caterpillars within the setting, as the children are learning about life cycles.
• Staff provide good opportunities for children to develop an understanding of mathematical concepts. Children confidently count, compare, and use positional language while making spiders with dough.
• Staff use rich vocabulary, such as when talking about cocoons and the symmetry of butterflies, to help develop children's language and communication. However, at times, staff miss opportunities to help some quieter children to develop their language further.
• Children have opportunities for mark making and resources are constantly available to support this. Children make butterfly cards for their families and friends, discussing what messages they would like to send. This gives children a good understanding that text carries meaning.
• The behaviour of the children is good. Staff recognise children's achievements and give praise. This gives children an opportunity to be proud of what they can do and encourages positive behaviour.
• Children learn about self-care practices and personal independence; they brush their teeth as a group. Staff encourage them to be healthy, for example, through active play and growing vegetables to learn about healthy eating. However, staff do not always encourage children to eat healthy foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, at snack and mealtimes.
• The parents have strong relationships with the staff and parents feel able to share information about their home life. This is particularly important as there are several military families that the setting supports. This helps staff to understand behaviours and offer appropriate support.
• Parents receive regular feedback about their children's development. The manager and staff team seek information from parents to ensure they can support the best possible outcomes for children in the setting.
• The setting has a strong partnership with the school. They use the school hall for lunch and have access to the playground and field. This supports children to feel comfortable on transitioning to the school. The setting also uses the same phonics programme to ensure continuity in their learning.
• Staff are well qualified. They have regular supervisions with the manager, where further training is considered. This supports the team to continue to develop their practice.
• Staff feel well supported and the manager ensures their workload is manageable. This results in the team genuinely enjoying their work at the setting. This shows in their positive attitude when interacting with the children.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• develop staff interactions so that more quieter children are supported further in their language development
• support children to make more healthy choices around mealtimes.