Joyful Star Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at the nursery, where they are greeted warmly by staff. Children have strong and positive relationships with staff, who know them and their families well. Children take care of their belongings. They are encouraged to be independent and school ready. They take off their own coats and bags upon arrival and find their name pegs.

Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour. They model expected behaviour and use positive praise. For example, children are praised for helping to tidy up and for taking part in group activities. Staff sit on the carpet with children and regularly remind them of expected behaviour. Children's next steps in learning are based upon their personal interests and build upon their previous experiences and skills. Staff create an ambitious curriculum, in which the children make good progress. Children engage in a range of activities, both indoors and outdoors. They take part in meaningful conversations with staff and each other. Staff encourage children to talk about their families and feelings. Staff are aware of how the pandemic has affected children at the setting. They encourage children to talk with their peers and engage in group games.

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

• Learning in the setting is well sequenced. For example, the concept of money is introduced through 'coin pillows' before children begin to learn about monetary value.
• Children are taught about healthy lifestyles. For instance, they explore a range of role-play food. They sort the foods into categories, giving a thumbs up and thumbs down to show if it is healthy or unhealthy. Staff explain to children that diets should be balanced. Children continue this learning throughout the session.
• Staff interact well with children. They join in with children's play, engaging them in lively conversations. Staff encourage children to extend their vocabulary by modelling language. They sing songs to children and read familiar stories, such as 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. Children are confident when engaging in conversation with their friends and staff.
• Staff offer children praise and reassurance to build their confidence. For example, during carpet time, staff praised children who joined in when completing the weather board. Children are encouraged to name their emotions at the beginning of the day. Staff talk to children about reasons for their feelings and teach them strategies to regulate these emotions. Occasionally, children lose interest during carpet time due to the length of time spent sat on the carpet.
• Staff encourage children to make choices throughout the day. They encourage children to select the resources they wish to play with. Children take responsibility for their belongings and put on their own hats and coats during garden time. Staff teach children about good hygiene practices, and they wash their hands regularly. However, opportunities to promote independence at mealtimes, to extend their skills even further, are missed.
• Staff encourage the use of mathematical language during play and circle time. Children count during group time and recognise numbers shown to them by staff. When younger children play in the sand, staff introduce language such as 'more', 'less', 'big' and 'small'.
• The manager creates opportunities for the children to learn about different cultures. For example, they hold a multicultural day. Children's families share foods from their home countries and show children examples of traditional dress. This helps children to become aware of the similarities and differences between themselves and their peers.
• The manager and staff develop positive relationships with parents. Parents feel that their children have made progress since attending the setting. Children have homework books that inform parents of children's next steps in learning and help parents to better support their children's learning at home.
• Staff are well supported by the manager. The manager operates an open-door policy. Staff have regular supervisions, which helps to identify any training needs.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• reduce the length of carpet time to ensure that children remain engaged
• create further opportunities for children to become independent at mealtimes.