Jigsaw Curzon House Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in the calming environment that has been created by the staff. They have built a nurturing bond with their key person. Staff working with the youngest children personalise their care to ensure that their needs are well met. They provide all children with the support and attention they need to thrive. Through these positive interactions, children are becoming secure and confident individuals. The management team has a clear intent for children's personal, social and emotional development. Babies sit on their key person's knee. Their beaming smiles show they appreciate the cuddles and close contact. Staff model to children how to be respectful of each other. Through experiences in the outdoor areas, children learn about taking risks in a safe environment. This builds children's resilience and self-assurance. There is a consistent approach to routines and expectations throughout the nursery. This leads to children behaving extremely well and being able to demonstrate caring attitudes towards their peers.

Providing children with awe-provoking experiences is at the centre of this nursery. Two-year-old children delight in outdoor experiences, which supports their developing awareness of the world around them. They identify insects in a storybook and then hunt for the bugs in the garden. Pre-school children giggle and watch in amazement as the tadpoles they have been observing turn into froglets and hop about. Children demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and are making good progress throughout the nursery.

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

• Staff encourage children's physical skills. They promote physical experiences, indoors and outdoors. Children engage with music as they move their bodies to the beat. Older children develop their large-muscle skills and coordination in the forest school. They navigate uneven terrains, climb through trees play on the swing. Children's physical development is progressing well.
• Young children develop a can-do attitude towards their learning. For example, they persevere as they explore cause-and-effect toys. Children use trial and error until they succeed. They turn handles, unlock latches and press buttons. Children open and close chains and locks on the activity board. They are provided with rich and meaningful experiences to help them to become determined and resilient. This helps to prepare them for their future learning.
• Overall, the manager's intent for what children learn is implemented effectively. However, implementation of communication and language development is not always consistent across the nursery. Most staff provide a language-rich environment for children. However, some staff ask a lot of questions in quick succession or do not always use the correct pronunciation of words. This results in children not consistently benefiting from high-quality interactions.
• Leaders work in partnership with other settings, parents and outside agencies. They share a two-way flow of information to ensure that the care provided for children is consistent. All children's needs, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are met well.
• The manager has created consistency throughout the nursery. Children know what is happening and what is coming next. This gives them a sense of security and confidence. Familiar pieces of music are played to tell children that it is time to tidy up or what meal they will be having. This consistent routine helps children to regulate their behaviour as they understand what is expected of them.
• There is an effective key-person system in place. The manager sees this as a fundamental part of a child's experience. Staff know their key children extremely well and personalise their care to meet their needs. The nursery is set out into small, well-thought-out spaces so that children can spend quality time with their key person. This helps children to build strong bonds with their key person.
• The manager has put a high emphasis on promoting healthy living for children. For instance, the menu, which covers meals from 21 different cultures, has been reviewed by dieticians to ensure that children are receiving a high-quality, balanced diet while at the nursery. Through exploring different textures and tastes, children are learning healthy habits towards food.
• Partnership with parents is a strength of this nursery. Staff share detailed information about children's progress and help parents to support and extend children's learning at home. Parents are highly complimentary. They commend how well cared for their children are. Parents say that staff help children to develop new skills and deepen their knowledge and understanding.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• help staff to implement the curriculum for communication and language more precisely.