Kids 1st Ashbrooke

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are incredibly happy in the nursery. Staff know children exceptionally well and are very caring and nurturing. Parents believe that staff go above and beyond to support children and their families. Many parents comment on staff's attention to detail, particularly when children first start. Children who need additional support to settle when they first arrive in the morning enjoy frequent cuddles and stories to help them feel at home. Older children demonstrate the excellent relationship that they develop with staff, as they frequently seek out staff for cuddles. Staff have high expectations for children's learning. Independence is developed exceptionally well throughout the nursery. Staff have thought carefully about the skills children need to learn as they progress through the nursery. Toddlers learn that they can help themselves to their cups of water. As children progress through the nursery, they learn to drink from cups without lids, until they confidently pour themselves a drink as needed.

The managers take effective action to keep children safe. For example, following recent storms, staff have identified damage to tree branches and have closed the garden. Children's behaviour is excellent. Throughout the nursery, children are calm and purposeful. Managers and staff have clear expectations of children's behaviour. For instance, when children move into the two-year-old room, they learn skills, such as lining up. They understand that they put their hand on their friend's shoulder. This skill is developed throughout the nursery.

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

• The managers have clear targets for improvement and listen to the views of parents and staff. Regular check ins with staff help to support staff's well-being at work. Following feedback from parents, staff have implemented a lending library and organised trips out as well as stay-and-play sessions.
• Babies are exceptionally well supported. Staff working with children of this age group are knowledgeable and focus on developing very close bonds with them. Babies demonstrate their attachment to all staff as they wait for their key person to return from getting nappies. Staff focus specifically on what they want children to learn. For example, they provide a range of opportunities to support babies as they take their first steps.
• Children manage their personal hygiene exceptionally well. From a very early age, children learn to get tissues when they have a runny nose. Staff take time to teach toddlers how to blow and wipe their nose. They teach children the importance of washing hands. By the time children move into the pre-school room, children manage their personal hygiene independently.
• Children make excellent progress in their communication and language. Staff focus particularly well on developing children's vocabulary. Staff in the baby room focus on introducing key vocabulary, such as 'bye', which babies begin to copy. By the time children are in the pre-school room, they learn about terms, such as 'decompose'. Older children use terms including 'slimy' and 'mushy' to describe pumpkin flesh.
• Children demonstrate very high levels of engagement. For example, two-year-old children are highly engaged as they play outside. They mix paints and water and explore the colours they can make. Children demonstrate very good perseverance as they work out how to coil and uncoil a giant spring.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are exceptionally well supported. The experienced lead has worked tirelessly to get children the help and support they need. They work effectively with staff from the local authority and outreach teams to get further support to help meet children's needs. They act on advice given and incorporate individual targets into the daily routine. These strategies help children to make rapid progress from their starting points and begin to catch up to their peers.
• Children in receipt of funding make superb progress. Managers and staff use funding effectively to give children opportunities that they may not ordinarily access. For example, some funding has been used to give children access to coaching sessions aimed to support their physical development. This supports children who have fewer opportunities to develop their physical skills at home and helps to strengthen different muscle groups.
• Staff develop excellent relationships with parents. They gather highly detailed information from parents before children start. For example, they find out about any concerns parents may have about their children starting nursery. Staff go out of their way to provide reassurance as children settle. They share information about children's learning with parents. Parents feel that staff are always on hand to provide advice and support. They value the resource packs that they can borrow to support with developmental stages, such as toilet training.
• The manager provides high-quality advice and support to staff to ensure they continue to improve their practice. For example, staff benefit from high-quality training and support when they move to a different room in the nursery. This helps them to become a valued and inspiring member of the room team.