Jules' Nursery Hut

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The friendly and nurturing staff help children settle quickly into this setting. They build positive relationships with children and swiftly attend to their needs, helping them to feel safe and secure. Children are keen to learn and try new things.

Children confidently explore the nursery environment and make independent choices about what they wish to play with. The manager and her team have constructed a curriculum that centres around the children's interests and their next steps for learning. Older children learn independence skills that prepare them for school, such as dressing themselves for going outdoors and washing their hands.

Children learn particularly well in the outdoor area. Staff have created an outdoor space that provides children with an abundance of opportunities to build on their physical skills. Children enjoy riding bicycles and jumping on trampolines. Staff have created a space for children to plant seeds and grow vegetables, and children take pride in looking after these plants, watering and pruning them. They delight as they collect and accurately count insects during a bug hunt.

Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour and promote a positive learning environment. They are strong role models for good behaviour, saying 'please' and 'thank you'. Children understand behavioural expectations and follow the rules of the setting. They tidy away their toys as they finish playing, sharing with their peers and using their manners.

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

• Staff have designed a curriculum tailored to teaching children important skills and supporting their interests. For example, children dress themselves before going outdoors and are independent in their self-care. There is a strong focus on making sure that children are happy and settled.
• The quality of education is good. Staff are skilled at gaining children's starting points and using this to plan appropriate activities that build on their knowledge. Therefore, children stay focused for extended periods of time.
• Children freely explore the broad range of activities. There is a good balance of adult-directed and child-led learning through the carefully planned curriculum. However, as staff prepare for some routines or activities, children sometimes have to wait for long periods of time. This can have a minor impact on their behaviour as children become disengaged from their play.
• Staff understand how to help children reach the next stages in their development. For example, as children get ready to attend school, staff provide opportunities to build on strengthening their hand grip. For example, children use spoons to carefully scoop sand into small containers. Furthermore, children learn resilience as they tackle these challenging activities.
• Staff place a strong focus on promoting children's communication and language skills. Staff model language well. They engage children in discussions and provide a narration as children play. This means that children are able to hear a wide variety of words, building on their vocabulary and language skills. Furthermore, staff support children who speak English as an additional language by learning key words in their home language. This helps them feel safe and builds on their sense of belonging.
• Staff have built strong partnerships with parents. Parents are incredibly happy with the care that their children receive. They feel that the setting provides advice and guidance that help them support their children's continued learning and progress at home.
• The manager is passionate and dedicated. She leads a team that is enthusiastic and keen to build on its knowledge. Staff benefit from frequent meetings, observations of their practice and regular training opportunities. Staff have developed effective partnerships with other professionals. This helps to provide a consistent approach to meeting children's needs, particularly children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• The provision for children with SEND is good. Staff are very knowledgeable and find ways to engage all children. For example, they adapt an activity to make it more accessible by providing one-to-one support. This means that children do not feel overwhelmed and understand the activity better.
• Children learn about the world around them. They participate in special festivals and celebrations to help them understand other cultures and beliefs. This supports children to learn about and respect other cultures and prepares them for life in modern Britain.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• review the organisation of transitions throughout the day to ensure that children remain consistently engaged in their play.