Kinder Castle

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are happy and settled in the nursery. They demonstrate positive attitudes to their play and learning. Children demonstrate high levels of engagement, curiosity and enthusiasm in their play. The key-person system is well established in the nursery. Children form close bonds with staff, who know children well. They are aware of their individual interests and stages of development. Staff identify experiences children may not have had elsewhere. For instance, taking a trip on a bus or looking for bugs in the park. They plan for these outings to help widen children's experiences of their local community. Staff work in partnership with parents to share information about children's care needs, interests and development. Children behave well. They listen to staff and understand the 'golden rules', which help to keep them safe at nursery. Children discuss feelings and emotions with staff and each other. For example, during circle time, children make sad and happy faces and talk about how they feel. Staff offer frequent praise and encouragement to children. This helps to promote children's self-confidence.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported at nursery. Staff work well together and with other professionals to ensure that children receive the support they need. Children are challenged in their learning. For example, they recognise numbers and participate in number matching games.

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

• The manager has a clear vision for the nursery. She is passionate about her role and develops an inclusive curriculum that incorporates children's interests and stages of development.
• The manager works together with staff. Both staff and the manager report that they receive support from each other. The effectiveness of staff's teaching and practice is monitored well by the manager and senior staff. For instance, staff receive regular supervisions and attend team meetings. This helps to support staff well-being.
• Staff provide a variety of equipment and resources to support children's existing skills. For example, older children make volcanos, mixing ingredients together. Younger children explore sand using a variety of utensils to scoop and mix.
• Children understand and follow the routine of the nursery day. They actively join in and maintain concentration with key times, such as circle time and small-group activities.
• Children learn to take turns, share ideas and be kind to each other. Older children build meaningful friendships with each other and enjoy spending time together. Children talk about how they spend time together outside of nursery. This helps to develop children's social skills.
• Staff work well together. They display good communication skills and share relevant information with each other. This also supports transition for children moving into different rooms in the nursery. Staff share knowledge so children are fully supported with their transition.
• Relationships with parents are strong. Parents speak highly of the nursery and the care that their children receive. Parents feel their child's individual needs are met at the nursery but also that the nursery offers support to parents when needed. For example, staff offer advice to parents on meals and feeding.
• Staff share information about children's learning through a secure electronic system. This helps to provide a continued approach to children's learning. During COVID-19, staff kept in regular contact with parents and provided ideas for activities at home and invited parents and children to take part in an Easter egg competition.
• Children spend time in the outdoor area and benefit from daily exercise and extending their physical skills. Children enjoy exploring the rain and snow with staff and their friends. However, time is often limited, which reduces children's deep engagement with exploring the natural world and the resources outdoors.
• Staff support children to develop their vocabulary and language skills. Staff read stories and sing songs with children throughout play. Older children benefit from hearing complex words, such as 'lava', 'erupt' and 'dormant'. However, this is not consistent across all rooms, with some staff not using correct grammar with the children. This means that some children do not hear the correct pronunciation of words.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• extend children's experiences of outdoor learning, particularly for those children who prefer to learn outdoors
• review staff's use of vocabulary when interacting with children to use clear words to help children build on their already good communication skills.