Jack And Jills Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children settle into nursery at the start of each session. They get support from staff that they know and trust to help with this when they are new to nursery or are experiencing difficulty. Staff's kind reassurance quickly has children feeling secure and ready to play. Children's behaviour is good. They show that they understand what staff say and follow instructions with ease. After registration and circle time, children take care as they walk sensibly to the bathroom to wash their hands before snack or to get their coat for outside play.

Children enjoy lots of opportunities to decide on where they learn. One child playing with the garage and toy cars explains to a member of staff about the different pumps, saying that some are for petrol and the blue pump is for air. This shows that children have good knowledge of the local community and everyday experiences. Children have a bank of words which they use confidently in their play. They use words such as 'patience' and 'mechanic' when talking with staff. Children are kind to one another; they share the toys and enjoy cooperating. While using the new wooden rocket, children talk about the places it will visit. They load the rocket with toy people and animals to take them on a 'trip to Jupiter'.

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

• Managers are clear about the curriculum and how this is designed to help children gain the knowledge and skills they need in preparation for the next stage in their learning. Managers explain how staff plan experiences and use assessments of what children know and can do to help them decide on what each child needs to learn next.
• Staff focus on supporting children's speaking and listening skills. Senior staff have undertaken training to support the children who need additional input to reach expected levels of attainment for communication.
• Children are making good progress in their learning from the time they start at the nursery. Staff show that they understand how to use children's interests to support them in their learning. They use what they know about their key children to identify where and when to extend learning or to repeat experiences to help children gain knowledge and skills.
• Staff use the group registration time to help children prepare for school. Children concentrate well, listen to staff and join in with questions and answers. The short, focused session is having a positive impact on children's confidence to speak in a group and to show their understanding of letters and the sounds they make.
• Children are developing their independence skills, in particular being able to put on their coats for outdoor play. They wipe their nose and dispose of tissues in the bin without the need for guidance in many cases. However, there are times when staff have not fully considered how to sequence the learning of some skills, such as pouring milk from a large jug into a cup, which some children find very difficult.
• Parents are extremely happy with the staff. They say that their children feel safe at nursery. Parents speak about the improvements in behaviour, their children's ability to communicate with others and that they have learned to share. Parents appreciate the work staff do with other professionals to ensure children receive the help they need to make good progress.
• Leaders and managers have established new processes to help them evaluate staff practice and identify where improvements are needed. Managers successfully evaluate staff interaction. They know what effective interaction to support children's learning looks like. They give staff constructive feedback to help them improve their skills.
• Leaders and managers are very conscious of the importance of staff well-being. New practices for planning and assessing children's progress are designed to reduce the amount of paperwork and to allow staff more time working with their key children.
• Effective communication is a focus for the whole staff team and many aspects are highly successful. However, there are some aspects which need to improve. For example, some parents need clearer information about how to help fully prepare their children for school.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider further ways to sequence children's learning of new physical skills
• find additional methods to share important information with all parents about the skills children need for school.