Kelloe Phoenix Centre

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The nurturing nursery environment helps children to feel happy and safe. Children who are new to the setting are offered bespoke settling-in sessions, giving them the time they need to feel secure. Children quickly become confident in their new surroundings and enjoy joining in with the activities on offer. They build warm and trusting relationships with staff. Babies thrive with reassuring cuddles; toddlers seek out help with their personal needs; and older children confidently ask adults to support them to solve problems. Children are supported to take turns and share. For example, when toddlers create pictures using pens, staff point out children who do not have pens and encourage others to share. When disagreements occur, staff provide swift support. They encourage children to manage their feelings and behaviour by setting clear rules and boundaries. This helps to create a calm environment, where children behave well.

Children benefit from daily opportunities to sing songs and read books. Babies enjoy pointing to pictures of familiar songs while staff sing. They babble and join in with the actions. Toddlers enjoy looking at the pictures in well-known story books. Staff sensitively introduce new words and encourage children to repeat them back. Pre-school children enjoy regular visits to the nursery library. They attentively listen to stories and talk about their favourite authors. Children are developing their communication and language skills well.

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

• The manager and staff plan a broad and exciting curriculum that is focused on children's interests and levels of development. Staff use their knowledge of children to work effectively together to identify and plan for children's next steps. Children make good progress from their starting points.
• Staff promptly identify children who may benefit from additional support and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and provide targeted assistance to help close gaps in their learning. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works closely with parents and other professionals to tailor support plans that reflect children's individual needs. The nursery's inclusive approach has a positive impact on the quality of education for all children.
• Mealtimes are calm and sociable times when adults and children sit together and chat. Children are encouraged to develop their independence and small-muscle skills by feeding themselves. Staff engage children in discussions about the food they have on their plates. However, sometimes, opportunities to emphasise the importance of healthy lifestyles or help children to understand the benefits of the healthy foods they eat are overlooked.
• A strong and effective key-person system is embedded at the nursery. Staff know their children well and provide activities that cater for their interests and next steps in learning. Staff work closely with parents to establish children's starting points, ensuring that children are well supported from the beginning of their journey.
• Opportunities for children to learn about mathematics are well supported by staff. Staff skilfully weave the teaching of mathematics into everyday activities. For example, children enjoy filling and emptying containers while playing with sand. Staff support play by using language such as 'full' and 'empty'. Children are also supported to count and develop their understanding of numbers during daily routines. This helps children to strengthen their understanding of mathematical concepts.
• Many opportunities are provided to ensure that children are physically active. Young children learn to pull themselves up in preparation for walking. Toddlers learn to climb steps and navigate spaces. Pre-school children develop their small-muscle skills ready for writing. Children's physical skills are developing well.
• Arrangements for regular supervision of staff have been implemented. However, individual targets are not always clearly identified and, as a result, staff are not always clear about their next steps for professional development.
• Staff work closely with parents. They share information about children's learning through an electronic app that parents can contribute to. Staff make effective use of settling-in arrangements to build strong relationships with families and children. Parents feel that their children are well prepared for school and would highly recommend the nursery to others.
• Partnership working is effective. Leaders prioritise effective transition procedures and work closely with feeder schools to ensure children are well supported and ready for their next steps. Transitions within the nursery are well planned. Staff work together to discuss children's needs and interests. Movement between the rooms is seamless.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend children's understanding of how healthy eating habits contribute to their overall health
• enhance formal supervisions of staff to focus more sharply on providing clear targets for professional development, to raise the quality of practice further.