Kids 1st - Hexham

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are very happy in the nursery. They enter the building with enthusiasm when their parents drop them off. Older children talk confidently about which book character they are dressed as on 'World Book Day'. Other children are very excited when they notice that the manager and staff are dressed up too. Parents comment that their children love coming. They feel that their children settle quickly and build up very strong relationships with the caring staff. Parents of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) speak highly of the knowledgeable and supportive staff.

Children behave well. They respond quickly when staff remind them to sit on a chair properly. Young children take turns as they play outside. Older children listen to their friends in a group activity. Children learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, when children play outside, they learn to control their speed as they run down slopes. They learn how to keep themselves safe when playing around the bushes in the garden. Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve. They identify what they want children to learn. Staff think clearly about how they can help children to achieve these intentions. For example, staff working with toddlers help them to share resources as they post balls down chutes.

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

• Children with SEND are supported well. Staff provide focused one-to-one support to help them to move forward in their learning. They identify the skills children need to develop their communication. Staff focus on making eye contact and helping children respond to their name. They reinforce vocabulary as they play, modelling everyday words, such as 'in, out' and 'again'.
• The manager supports staff effectively, overall. The nursery has employed a number of new staff recently. The manager spends a lot of time in the rooms working with staff and providing ongoing coaching and support. However, there are minor inconsistencies in practice that the manager has not yet identified. For example, some staff working with babies, occasionally, overwhelm them with talk.
• Staff know children well and know what they are interested in. They prepare a range of activities that are based on children's interests that engage them well, overall. Babies are highly focused as they explore posting balls into a shoebox. They demonstrate excellent concentration for their age as they explore which balls fit into the holes.
• Staff have an expert knowledge of how to support children's oral health. They are currently undertaking extended training on supporting this further. They share messages from this training with other staff and send weekly 'top tips' to parents. Staff have also altered the menu to support children's oral health. For example, the chef now prepares fewer desserts and offers more starters.
• Staff working with two-year-old children support them well, overall. For example, they engage children as they read exciting stories or sing songs. Children working with construction toys are highly engaged as they explore how they can fit pieces together. However, on occasion, some staff do not identify that a small number of children are struggling to participate in activities. They do not respond swiftly enough to engage them again, and children lose concentration.
• Children develop good relationships with other children in nursery. Older children play with their friends with great enthusiasm. They talk to each other about their game and confidently add suggestions to develop it further. Staff support more confident children to listen to their friends' ideas.
• Staff have strong relationships with parents. They use a range of methods to communicate with them, including electronic communication. Parents feel that they know what their children are doing. They particularly like receiving photos of their children playing and learning.
• Staff think carefully about the order in which children develop new skills. For example, staff identify the skills children need to develop independence at mealtimes. As children progress through the different rooms in the nursery, they learn to use cutlery with increasing control. Babies learn to use spoons and then gradually progress to using a knife and fork. Two-year-old children learn to pour their own drinks, while older children serve themselves. This supports children's good progress in their self-care skills.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• ensure that all children maintain high levels of engagement to raise their achievements to a higher level
• strengthen supervision and identify and address minor inconsistencies in practice to improve the quality of education further.