Kloisters Day Nursery and Pre-School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children enjoy their time at this friendly and inclusive nursery. They leave their parents and carers with ease and settle down to well-planned activities that interest them. The skilful leadership team has devised a curriculum which focuses on four main areas. This includes helping children to be aware of their health, to be independent learners, to be able to self-regulate and to be effective communicators. These skills are built upon as children move through the rooms, enabling them to be ready for their transition to school. All children make good progress from their starting points.

Children feel safe and happy. Babies are welcomed warmly by their key person and embraced in cuddles and stories. Once settled and content, they are active in seeking out resources to play and explore. Older children enter their rooms with confidence and the staff know the children well. Staff ask them questions about their weekend and children happily engage.

Children are kind and caring towards their friends. When there are minor disputes about popular resources, staff are on hand to help. Staff get down to children's levels and speak about how the problem could be solved. This provides children with the skills they need to solve future conflicts with effective communication and compassion. The 'golden rules' embedded throughout the nursery further support children's understanding.

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

• The leadership team demonstrates a dedication to continually improving the nursery. Leaders create action plans to pinpoint what they need to develop and are passionate about giving children the best start in life. For example, they want to cook fresh food on site and create an allotment area to educate the children about healthy eating. There is currently a high number of new staff. The leadership team ensures that there is effective induction. Staff are clear about their roles, responsibilities and the policies and procedures for the setting. All staff receive effective supervision and mentoring to help develop their practice.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is passionate about supporting children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Key staff and the SENCo work closely with parents and external professionals to make relevant referrals where necessary. They promptly identify and implement effective strategies to support children on their learning journey. Transitions to new rooms and schools are carefully planned to ensure that children are emotionally ready and prepared for their next step.
• Staff place a strong emphasis on developing children's speech and language skills. Children enjoy stories and are encouraged to borrow books from nursery to share with their parents. A local author visited the setting to read to the children and help develop their love of books. Furthermore, children learn to sign and staff use visual clues to support children's understanding.
• Children across the nursery are confident learners. Overall, they show high levels of concentration and enjoyment. However, at times, staff in the pre-school room do not fully consider how to encourage children to make choices and explore their own interests. For example, on occasion, adult-led activities take up a large proportion of the day and some children lose motivation and struggle to remain focused.
• Overall, the routines in the kindergarten room are well planned to meet the needs of the children. However, at times, routines disrupt children's play. For example, all children are asked to tidy up for snack, but only some of them are able to sit down to eat after tidying. This results in the other children waiting for their turn at the snack table without any meaningful activities available.
• Outside, children approach physical play with enthusiasm. Younger children learn to navigate safe risks as they climb the steps to the slide. Older children love to climb and use their arms to balance themselves. They use the bicycles with ease, using their feet to scoot them around obstacles. Attentive staff stay close by to support children when necessary. For example, staff spend time teaching the children how to use the pedals on the bicycles and give them 'high fives' when they achieve this.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. Parents share their praise for the manager and staff at the nursery. Parents are kept informed about their children's learning through daily discussions and individual online learning journals. Staff provide parents with home learning suggestions, such as activity bags to support children's next steps in learning.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen activity planning in the pre-school room so that children have sufficient time to lead their own play and follow their interests
• review and improve daily routines in the toddler room to avoid long waiting times for children.