Kidz Matter Nursery (Oldham Arc Satellite)

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy, relaxed and confident in this highly nurturing setting. They separate easily from their parents and carers at the door, look for their name on the table and post it into the 'happy' or 'sad' box to show that they have arrived. Later, they empty the boxes and discuss with staff why they chose to put their name in that particular box. This teaches children the language of feelings and promotes their emotional security.

Children's imagination and language skills are well developed in the role play area. They decide to make cups of tea for their friends using real teabags, a teapot and water. They choose different flavours of tea and enjoy smelling the scents, predicting what the next teabag will smell like and discussing which they like best.

Children are engrossed as they search around the outside area with clipboards, pens and a tick list of things to find. They laugh out loud and say, 'Oh my goodness!' as they find a worm. They crowd round excitedly as they look at the worm in the bowl and use magnifying glasses to take a closer look. This develops their understanding of the natural world around them. Children's physical skills are also supported well outside. They have lots of fun running up and down a hill, following cars as they roll down a drainpipe and playing on the scooters and bikes.

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

• Children choose from a range of interesting activities. They enjoy playing in the water, choosing a book to read or playing with play dough. They come together to count how many children are there today, clap out the syllables in their names and sing familiar songs. However, the organisation of this group means that some younger children can become distracted and lose interest. As a consequence, these children do not make the same progress as others in their learning.
• Children enjoy preparing food for a tea party. They carefully spread the fillings and choose from a range of vegetables to add to the sandwiches. Staff support and encourage children to cut up oranges. Children are curious about the juice in the orange and ask if they can make their own drink from them. Their hands shake with determination as they squeeze the slices hard over a cup to extract the juice, encouraged by the staff. This helps to develop the muscles in their hands in preparation for early writing.
• Children are well supported to be independent. They help themselves to a cup if they need a drink and blow their own noses. They are encouraged to try their best to put on and zip up their coats. Children wash their own hands before eating and after going to the toilet. Staff talk to the children about healthy foods and children practise brushing their teeth at nursery. This develops the children's understanding of how to keep themselves healthy.
• Children's behaviour is very good. They are kind to their friends, share well and are polite. For example, they pick up a dropped toy frog during a singing session, saying, 'There you are,' when they hand it back to the staff member. Staff are excellent role models and relationships are positive and respectful between staff and children.
• Overall, children's communication and language are supported well. They are encouraged to ask and answer questions, sing songs and use new words. However, at times, the strategies used to support children's communication are not consistent. Therefore, children receive mixed messages from staff. This means that some children do not benefit fully from the activities on offer.
• Staff speak very positively about the leaders. They report that they are well supported and able to discuss any areas for improvement in their practice at regular supervision meetings. They say that they enjoy working at the nursery, learning from each other and discussing how they can make the provision even better.
• Parents and carers hold the staff and leaders in high regard. Parents who felt particularly anxious about leaving their child at a setting have felt well supported by the caring staff and the thoughtful induction process. Parents report that they have an excellent relationship with the whole nursery team and are well informed about their child's progress. This enables parents to continue the learning at home.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider ways to ensure that the learning intent is more precisely focused for all groups of children to ensure the best possible outcomes
• further develop the support given to children with particular communication needs to ensure that it is consistent across the staff team.