Liskeard School Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children are cared for with warmth, kindness and respect by staff at this welcoming nursery. The whole staff team gets to know children and their families extremely well. This helps staff to ensure that children's individual needs are met effectively. When children move to the next room, or on to school, they are well prepared. This is because staff have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn to help them to be ready for the next stage of their learning.

Staff encourage children to be independent and to do things by themselves. For instance, older children spread cheese on their crackers and pour their own milk during a sociable snack time. Staff praise children, which motivates children and boosts their confidence.

Children are happy and engaged in their learning. Staff skilfully follow children's interests and build on these to promote their ongoing development. For example, children are supported to develop their problem-solving skills as they enjoy working together with their friends and staff to build and construct outside. Staff guide children to move around safely, which helps them learn to manage risks for themselves. Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about different cultures throughout the year. For instance, they paint pictures and make lanterns for Chinese New Year.

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

• The manager is an experienced practitioner, and her passion for working with children shines through in all she does. She evaluates her own and her staff's practice rigorously to maintain their high-quality provision. The manager and her staff team work tirelessly to provide children with the best start to their learning. The curriculum centres around the individual needs of the children. It builds on what children already know and can do and provides experiences across all areas of learning.
• Children develop their physical skills through a sequence of learning. Babies cruise along furniture as they build their strength and confidence for walking. Children make their own choices and can choose whether to be inside or out, whatever the weather. Outdoors, children have opportunities to climb, balance and run freely in the outdoor area. This helps to develop children's large-muscle movements.
• Staff plan exciting and engaging activities for children. However, on occasion, they do not give as much thought and attention to ensuring that all children achieve the skill intended. At times, the youngest children do not receive all the support they require to practise and embed new skills.
• Staff support children's communication and language well. For example, babies enjoy song-and-rhyme sessions, and toddlers enjoy taking part in role play. Pre-school children explore building models using construction blocks as staff ask them questions and set challenges. As a result, children are able to make their needs known and are becoming confident communicators.
• Partnerships with parents are a strength of the nursery. Parents say that their children are thriving and receive exceptional care. They welcome the effective communication they receive about their children's progress. Staff provide information to help parents to support their children's learning further at home.
• Children show positive attitudes towards their learning and play, and they generally behave well. However, at times, staff are not consistent in ensuring that transitions from play to mealtimes are effective, and some children spend longer than is necessary waiting around until they can eat. This impacts on the behaviour of these children, as they wait for too long and need support to redirect them.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported exceptionally well. The special educational needs coordinator, who is also the manager, works closely with parents and other professionals to provide meaningful learning opportunities for children. Staff identify specific targets and update these regularly. They share strategies with parents to provide children with consistency between the nursery and home. Support focuses on the individual needs of each child and is implemented well by the whole staff team.
• Staff work together extremely effectively. The manager values her staff and ensures that regular supervision identifies staff's strengths and areas that need further support. Staff attend regular training to try to ensure teaching practice is consistent and that children have the best learning experiences. The manager makes checks of staff's well-being, which staff value.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• strengthen planning of group activities for the youngest children to help all children achieve the intended learning outcome
• improve the organisation of transition times before mealtimes so that children continue to be engaged in quality learning experiences.