Kindred Rayleigh

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Leaders place a strong emphasis on working closely with parents to support children's well-being. Parents are welcome to spend time in the nursery on arrival and collection. This input means staff are especially well equipped to meet the ever-changing needs of the youngest children. They follow babies' unique routines in a very nurturing environment. Parents are also actively involved when children transition through the nursery and, with their key person, help their children settle into the new room. Staff act as calm role models. They respectfully interact with children and each other. In turn, children are polite to others, listen carefully to instructions and follow rules to keep themselves safe.

Staff plan the exciting and inspiring garden to engage and enthuse all children. The indoor and outdoor areas offer children a wide range of interesting opportunities to play and learn, according to their abilities and individual interests. An enthusiastic team runs a forest school where older children regularly experience a variety of activities that support their all-round development. They learn about nature when they grow vegetables and paint the reflection of the clouds they can see in a mirror. Staff recognise the importance of children using all their senses to explore and find out more. Older children build on their fine motor skills as they manipulate coconut-scented dough infused with petals and lavender.

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

• The strong leadership team is dedicated to running a nursery where children and their families come first. They are fully aware of the context of the nursery and the different experiences children may have. Staff also say they feel well supported.
• Leaders meet regularly with staff and share relevant information to support their professional development. Recent training on 'respectful care' has helped staff consider their everyday practice and to be mindful of their tone of voice and the importance of high-quality interactions at nappy changing times.
• Leaders continually evaluate practice in the nursery. The pre-school room was recently reorganised to encourage children to be more engaged and focused on their learning. Leaders have successfully implemented packs to help parents at important times in their children's lives, such as having a new baby or visiting the dentist.
• Staff gather relevant information from parents when children first start. They address any gaps in children's development through meaningful interactions and experiences. Additional funding is used effectively to provide resources that meet children's specific needs.
• All staff understand the importance of secure relationships for children to thrive. However, leaders have not yet considered ways to consistently embed the key- person approach from the start. That said, there is a strong emphasis on supporting children's emotional security. There are spaces for children to relax and regulate their emotions. Staff provide children with strategies to deal with conflicts by themselves.
• Staff have worked together to develop an ambitious curriculum. Activities and experiences clearly reflect the aims of the curriculum and show progression as children advance through the nursery.
• Staff get down to children's levels and encourage them to share their thoughts and experiences to build on their communication and listening skills. They sit and read animatedly with individual children to encourage a love of books and reading. Staff working with babies offer them new words while they play. However, staff working with older children do not consistently introduce more complex or descriptive words to enhance children's vocabulary.
• Staff playfully introduce mathematics. Children joyfully sing songs and show the correct number of fingers to match the words. Older children work out how many objects they can balance on the scales and decide which are heavier or lighter. Staff suggest they look at the dial to read the numbers and compare weights.
• Staff implement a school readiness programme and share information to help smooth children's move to school. They also liaise with other provisions children access to provide consistency of care and education.
• Staff promote children's independence at every opportunity. Children are encouraged to make choices and pour drinks by themselves. They independently access water and tissues from 'care stations' to help them gain further awareness of their own needs.
• Parents find the nursery very welcoming and homely. They say that their children benefit from spending a lot of time outdoors and appreciate the daily chats with staff and the usefulness of the online system for sharing information. Parents are involved in the mandatory progress check at age two.
• Leaders strive to ensure the nursery is accessible for all children and their families. They work closely with a wide range of relevant agencies to enable all children to make good progress.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• consider ways to embed the already strong key-person approach so that children benefit from their special person right from the start
• support staff to introduce more complex vocabulary to extend children's communication and language skills further.