Knights Templar Community Church School and Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Young children are warmly greeted by caring staff and they separate from their parents with ease. They eagerly explore and show high levels of curiosity. For instance, children investigate pine cones and balls of ice while adults talk to them about what they feel like. Children develop confidence in their physical abilities, as they climb, balance and learn to navigate steps. They beam at visitors as they achieve these tasks, showing pride in their accomplishments.

Children form trusting attachments with the staff. The kind and attentive staff give children praise for waiting, sharing and being kind. Staff teach children the importance of using 'gentle hands' so that they learn the effects of their actions on others. Children are extremely responsive to the staff and they behave very well for their age.

Young children benefit from a curriculum that has been created with their needs in mind. Experienced and knowledgeable staff understand how to assess each child's progress and development and how to use the curriculum to move them on in their learning. All children make good progress and are well prepared for the next stages in their learning. The setting shares information with parents about their children's progress, and offers guidance on how to support their children's learning at home.

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

• Staff are very good role models for communication and language. They consistently talk to children. They narrate young children's play, ask questions to ignite their interest and introduce vocabulary as they name animals, colours and numbers. This supports the development of children's understanding of language.
• Young children routinely join in with song time. They sit in small groups and choose songs they would like to sing using picture cards. Children show how familiar they are with the songs as they anticipate the actions. Staff spontaneously introduce familiar songs as children play. This delights young children and they begin to join in with some of the words of the songs.
• The manager of the setting intends for young children to gain in confidence in this room before they move up through the nursery and the school. She wants children to develop independent skills. At times though, staff do things for children that they may be able to start learning to do for themselves. For example, staff put on children's coats before going out to play.
• Staff show the highest respect for young children as they attend to their personal care routines. They ask permission to change children's nappies. Staff gently talk to children as they change their nappies, and children show how safe and secure they feel.
• Partnerships with parents are strong. The setting knows how important it is to build trusting relationships with parents in order to provide consistent support for children. Parents are very happy with the care their children receive. They are kept updated via regular communication from the nursery. Parents describe the staff as 'wonderful, dedicated and very approachable'. They are confident that their children love coming to the nursery and have good bonds with the staff.
• Young children enjoy regular fresh air and exercise and they are supported to have a healthy diet. They choose what fruit they will eat at snack time. However, staff use wet wipes to clean children's hands at mealtimes. This means that young children are not learning about important hand washing routines.
• Long standing and newer members of staff alike report how much they love working at the nursery. They feel well supported by the manager and each other. They work very well together to create a nurturing and positive environment for the children. Staff attend training to ensure ongoing high-quality teaching.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support children to learn to do manageable tasks for themselves to help develop their independence skills
• ensure children have the opportunity to learn the importance of handwashing in their daily routines.