Jimbo's Community Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children thrive in this outstanding nursery that is at the heart of its community. Staff build positive relationships with all children. This is because they have a thorough understanding of children's needs and how young children learn. Learning is planned with high expectations for all children. Staff support children to reach the goals they set by ensuring that learning is tailored to each individual child's needs and levels of development. As a result, all children make the very best progress that they are capable of.

Staff are highly skilled at developing children's individual sense of self and social skills. Staff teach children to take turns and respect each other. They offer children choices and teach them what is expected of them. All staff are consistent in their approach in teaching children the behaviours that they expect. This gives children many opportunities to learn and practise these skills.

Staff introduce books and help children to develop a love of books and stories. Pre-school children are provided with books to share at home and choose their favourite books each day. Some children go home and talk about their favourite characters from their favourite books. They do activities at home with their parents based on the books. This is supporting children to make excellent progress in their language and communication development.

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

• Learning is carefully thought out and builds on what children already know and can do. For example, staff find out about children's prior experiences and learning when they first start. They consider what language and vocabulary children already have so that they can build on this. They focus on modelling language so that children develop a wide range of vocabulary.
• Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their understanding of important values and each other. They vote on which book they would like to read each week from a selection offered to them. They learn about each other's dietary needs. Children learn how their bodies work and develop a good awareness and empathy of others at the same time.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are very well supported. Staff know and understand their needs in detail. This helps them to ensure that they plan learning and experiences that engage children while also developing their skills. For example, children with SEND learn to follow routines and instructions using picture cards and Makaton. Children with SEND are making excellent progress alongside their peers.
• Children with emerging needs are swiftly supported through communication with parents and appropriate referrals as well as immediate intervention. Children who have communication and language difficulties benefit from sessions that help them to develop their skills and narrow the gaps in their learning and development.
• Parents speak very highly of the staff and managers. They say communication is excellent and that they are well informed of their child's progress and next steps. They say that staff help them develop their child's skills at home. Staff send home books and stories to share and support children with toilet training. Parents say that this helps their child to be prepared for school.
• Staff report that the support for their emotional well-being is very good. Staff who require additional support for their own needs are very well supported by managers.
• The manager is tenacious and ambitious. Her high expectations ensure that her staff team delivers consistently high-quality teaching and learning for all children. She observes staff's teaching skills so that she has a clear picture of all staff's skills.
• Training is targeted depending on children's needs and any identified gaps in learning. For example, staff have received training to support children's communication and language skills. This is ensuring that staff's skills are continuously evolving to meet children's needs and contribute towards children making the best possible progress that they can.
• Funding is used effectively to support the delivery of training and wider experiences for children. This has a positive impact on the rate of progress that they make. Wider experiences are carefully thought out based on what leaders know about children and the experiences that they arrive with. This is very much linked to the provider's curriculum for children, such as developing their confidence and social skills.